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Vista Group International Limited

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FY2018 Annual Report · Vista Group International Limited
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VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITEDANNUALREPORT2018vistagroup.co	 01	 Chairman’s Letter

	 02	 Group CEO’s Letter

	 04	 Vista Group Companies

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW

	 07	 Group Trading Overview

14	 Corporate Responsibility

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

18	 Corporate Information

	 20	 Directors’ Report

	 21	 Financial Statements

	 66	

Independent Auditor’s Report

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

	 74	 Corporate Governance Statement

TABLE OFCONTENTSThis report is dated 29 March 2019 and is signed on behalf of the Board of Vista Group International Limited by Kirk Senior, Executive Chairman, and Murray Holdaway, Director.K Senior EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN 29 March 2019M Holdaway DIRECTOR 29 March 2019	
	
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

KIRK SENIOR EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN (left), KIMBAL RILEY GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE (right).

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Dear Shareholder,

Welcome to the Annual Report of Vista Group 
International Limited (Vista Group) for the financial 
year to 31 December 2018. 

I am delighted to report that we delivered another 
exceptional result, with the fifth consecutive year of 20%+ 
revenue growth. This resulted in a 17% increase in EBITDA 
and a 150% increase in operating cashflow. We declared 
a fully imputed dividend 27% up on the prior year, being 
at the top of our policy range, reflecting our confidence 
in the business and the desire to reward shareholders.

Since our Initial Public Offering (IPO) in August 2014 
we have delivered a compound annual growth rate 
of 29% and have seen the share price increase by over 
fourfold, a terrific outcome for all shareholders.

Our balance sheet has never been stronger. This 
capacity provides us with the ability to take advantage 
of new opportunities. The strength of our financial 
position together with our talented team also allows 
us to continue to innovate across our solution product 
range to meet customer needs and drive increased 
growth. Most importantly, we continue to be absolutely 
focused on our core businesses and seeking out the 
opportunities with customers and prospects to further 
accelerate sustainable growth. 

Over the past year we have continued to make great 
progress across all of our businesses.

In particular, our two core businesses are driving 
the exceptional growth – Vista Cinema and Movio 
delivered standout results, which Kimbal will expand 
on in his CEO letter. Our “other businesses” also had 
either excellent performances or are now on track 
for on‑going growth going forward. These “other 

businesses” play an important part in our group, often 
beyond their relative size and their executives are 
considered to be amongst the finest in the industry.

This time last year, we announced an important 
executive change with Kimbal Riley taking over the 
Group CEO role from our Founder, Murray Holdaway, 
who moved into a key role of Chief Product Officer. 
I noted in last years’ letter that I believed that this 
would be a case of 1+1=3 and I’m delighted this 
has proved to be the case. It is a great joy to work 
alongside Kimbal whose relentless and restless pursuit 
of, what I like to call, “responsible growth”, is infectious.

We continue to be very focused on the now but are 
equally focused on planning for all aspects of the 
future to ensure we maximise the opportunity to 
continue to build on the tremendous base we have 
created. And we do just see it as a base – there 
is significant opportunity going out many years.

Vista Cinema is continuing its strategy to build 
global market share, targeting the large circuits and 
expanding its presence in key new markets such 
as Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Vista Cinema is also 
very focused on continuing to strengthen customer 
relationships to ensure we are optimally positioned 
to leverage our market share. Our success with large 
customers, many of whom are now contracting 
multiple services from across the group, is a positive 
sign of our customer relationships.

Our Movio business has well and truly hit its stride  
and the future looks tremendously exciting. Movio’s 
mission is to connect everyone with their ideal movie 
and is really starting to shape the future of movie 
marketing. Whilst the results to date, and in particular  

01
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

GROUP CEO’S LETTER

in 2018, have been excellent, the upside potential of this 
business is quite extraordinary – and we are yet to enter 
into some large markets. In addition to the Research 
and Direct Campaign products, Movio Media launched 
its Digital Campaign solution in the second half of 
2018 and the early take‑up by film studios and media 
companies illustrates the enormous opportunity that 
lies ahead. Movio’s outstanding team is full of passionate 
technologists and cinema fanatics determined to make 
a positive difference to the film industry.

Our joint venture business in China continues to grow 
strongly and we are looking at how we can accelerate 
this further – there is no doubt this is a significant 
opportunity for the long term, but one we must 
manage carefully. 

The Board is very mindful that we must continue to 
attract, retain and incentivise highly talented people 
throughout our global organisation. The competition 
for talented people is real and a global challenge. 
These people are pivotal to our success, and, as 
such, we are continually reviewing our performance, 
incentive and succession plans across the group to 
ensure our talent and skills base continues to grow 
with the business. In addition, as a result of our 
ever‑increasing workforce, we will be expanding 
and upgrading our facilities in our Auckland home 

office, as well as our key LA office, appropriate to 
accommodate and motivate our workforce, which 
this year will approach 1,000 people worldwide.

I want to especially recognise the tremendous work 
ethic, capability and enthusiasm of the executive team 
for leading a group of talented and motivated staff who 
are shaping the success of our company and making 
a real contribution to the success of our customers.

The Board is very proud of the Group’s achievements 
and excited by what lies ahead. Thank you to the 
other members of the Board who provide a diverse 
and complementary set of skills and ideas, constantly 
challenging each other and management to ensure 
we are restless and focused.

On behalf of the Board, I thank you for your ongoing 
support.

Yours sincerely,

Kirk Senior 
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

GROUP CEO’S LETTER

Dear Shareholder,

It has been another terrific year for Vista Group  
– the dedication, hard work and imagination of 
everyone in the Vista Group family, combined with  
the support of our customers, has enabled us to  
deliver an outstanding result for 2018. 

Thanks are in order, and firstly I’d like to acknowledge 
the contribution of our people. Vista Group is a 
software and data company, and businesses such  
as ours succeed based on the collective capability  
and dedication of their people. I’m privileged to be  
part of a team that works hard, focuses on innovation 
and delivers to customers in over 100 countries 
according to the unique needs and wants of each.  
Our team is vibrant, diverse, and global – we  
have offices on every continent – and we are 
collectively focused on enhancing the success  
of the Film Industry.

I would also like to thank all of our customers; as a 
measure of the strength of our customer relationships, 
we have just under 100 who have been with Vista 

Group for over 10 years (we have some who have been 
with us 20 years). We celebrated the most recent 
additions to the 10‑year club at our biennial Customer 
Conference in Auckland in February 2019 – with around 
200 attendees from 24 countries. We work very hard 
to retain the support and confidence of our customers, 
we believe that persistence and a commitment to 
continuous innovation are the core attributes that 
will continue to anchor those relationships.

Looking at the results for 2018, the two core businesses 
– Vista Cinema and Movio – really stood out with 
strong growth, and excellent EBITDA outcomes, both 
demonstrating operating leverage over the 2017 results. 
Vista Cinema has shown strength and resilience beyond 
our expectations over the 5 years since IPO, but Movio 
is really hitting its straps, exceeding internal stretch 
targets, and delivering on the promise.

A new metric we have begun sharing for 2018 is  
the proportion of our revenues from SaaS business. 
This continues to increase, and it grew from 25% in  
2017 to 32% in 2018.

02
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

These two companies, supported by the array of 
capability across our Group businesses, have been 
pivotal in Vista Group delivering a compound  
annual growth rate of 29% over the 5 years since  
IPO – a statistic of which we are extremely proud.

Vista Cinema, the largest of our businesses, added 
another 1013 Vista sites across the globe taking the 
number of installed countries to 97. Global market 
share of the +20 screens segment increased to 40% 
(excluding China, market share of this segment was 
48%). We’re confident of continuing to grow this 
impressive market share as substantial opportunities 
still exist across the world in both mature and 
emerging markets.

One of the largest tasks underway at Vista Cinema 
is moving the core product to the cloud. 2018 saw 
significant milestones achieved in this regard with 
customers live in the cloud in the Middle East and 
Europe. Over time we expect a good proportion  
of Vista Cinema customers to move to cloud  
deployments, with attendant incremental revenue 
opportunities through managed services.

Movio had another outstanding year, increasing 
revenue by 47%, and EBITDA by 74%. The Movio 
Cinema element of the business continued strong 
growth gaining many new customers particularly in 
Latin America and Europe. But the star of the show 
is Movio Media – which gained real traction in the 
USA with major long‑term contracts being signed 
with studios and media companies. This enabled Movio 
to increase the revenue per moviegoer in the USA from 
45 cents to 86 cents – this is almost triple the revenue 
per moviegoer recorded in 2016 (31 cents). Movio 
Media increased revenue 122% on the back of this 
increase as connected active moviegoers (those able 
to be used in digital campaigns) continued to grow.

Veezi added 258 new sites to a total worldwide of 901 
(including 93 in China). Revenue growth was strong off 
the back of the site growth, an increase in the uptake 
of additional modules, and the continuing increase 
in the proportion of cinema tickets bought online.

Amongst our other Group businesses, Powster 
is standing out – both for its excellent financial 
performance, but most excitingly for the quality and 
breadth of its innovative imagination. The Los Angeles 
studio is fully staffed and has launched the ‘Powster 
Labs’ creative collaboration offering to studios. 

Maccs has begun to turn the corner, with some green 
shoots appearing in the form of improved delivery 
efficiency and new customer wins (mostly in Europe 
and Asia). The financial performance of Maccs in 2018 

was disappointing, but we are confident improvement 
will come in 2019 and beyond.

Cinema Intelligence grew revenue significantly and 
would have achieved an EBITDA breakeven year 
but for a key contract slipping into 2019. Integration 
with the Vista Cinema suite in two key areas has 
been the highlight of 2018 – with this integration 
very much improving the overall value add for our 
cinema customers.

movieXchange (MX) had an interesting year. MX Film 
is proving to be a solid contributor – both in customer 
engagement, and in providing a single film data 
repository for Vista Group companies. MX Tickets 
enjoyed a one‑off spike of third‑party ticketing 
volumes in the middle of 2018, with the rate of sales 
from the connected third parties settling down to a 
more consistent pattern toward the end of the year. 

We saw a key step in our Stardust journey during 2018, 
with external investment coming on board. This means 
that Stardust will become an associate company of 
Vista Group in 2019. The profile of the Stardust users 
as film fanatics is proving to be of interesting value 
to a range of industry players.

I look forward to another year of continued strong 
growth. Vista Group signed important contracts with 
key industry players during 2018 – with Cineworld, 
Odeon, Marcus, Aeon, and Pathé France in the exhibitor 
community, and with Disney, Fox, and Viacom in the 
studio/publishing sector. Of particular note was the 
extent to which these contracts incorporated offerings 
from multiple Group companies, an indication that 
customers are increasingly seeing the value of the 
overall Vista Group strategy.

The team have made the task of assuming the Group 
CEO role much less daunting than it might have been, 
and I’m very grateful for the support and patience of 
the Board and senior executive team. Murray’s new role 
as Chief Product Officer is already delivering long term 
goodness to the Group as a whole.

My thanks to all stakeholders for their support.

Kimbal Riley 
GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE

03
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

VISTA GROUP COMPANIES

VISTA GROUP COMPANIES

CINEMA

MOVIO

ADDITIONAL  
GROUP COMPANIES

EARLY STAGE
INVESTMENTS

ASSOCIATES

04
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

GROUP COMPANY OVERVIEW

Vista Group has continued its mission to become the 
leading provider of software and big data analysis to 
the global film industry.

data for industry participants leading to the Group’s 
investment in movieXchange, Movio Media and 
additional modules within the cinema product set.

Vista Group operates in a vertical market, which in 
many respects is similar to any other vertical industry. 
In most, the sectors are known as manufacturing, 
supply, retail and consumer. In the film industry our 
sectors are known as:

•  Production – entities that make movies

•  Distribution – entities that distribute movies

•  Cinema Exhibition – the cinemas that show the movies

•  Moviegoer – the public that go to see a movie

The graphic below is a view of how Vista Group sees 
its vertical market and the fit of its products.

With the integration of the products that Vista Group 
has developed/acquired we are creating the journey 
of following the film from its creation, through to it 
being seen by the moviegoer – and tracking all of the 
data and attributes that are needed by each party for 
the duration of that journey. We are then positioned 
to report on the box office performance of the movie 
– back through the exhibition channels – to the entity 
that made and invested in the movie itself.

The data aggregation and analysis that is required by 
the film industry is very significant. This provides many 
additional opportunities for Vista Group products such 
as Movio, Numero and Powster. It has also created 
the opportunity to provide more efficient access to 

The global cinema market is still expanding with the 
number of cinema screens and box office revenue 
growing. Whilst growth in the USA domestic market is 
slower, the overall international market led by the Asia 
Pacific region remains strong. Industry participants are 
focussing on some key trends:

•  Consolidation

•  Premiumisation

•  Data

•  Marketing

These are trends that drive the Vista Group businesses 
forward as our product functionality supports industry 
players to achieve improvement in their service offerings 
– for example – to maximise opportunities to gather 
data and make use of it for targeted marketing. 

Our global market share and relationships with the 
largest and fastest growing businesses in the industry 
also provide benefits as consolidation occurs.

Vista Group continues to create products and services 
that lead the industry in innovation focussed on meeting 
customer needs and the wider developing needs of the 
industry. Our recent biennial customer conference held 
in Auckland provided the opportunity to showcase 
the direction of our product strategy and ensure that 
it is aligned with our customer’s expectations.

PRODUCTION

DISTRIBUTION

CINEMA EXHIBITION

MOVIEGOER

05
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW

 GROUP TRADING 

OVERVIEW

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW 2018

TOTAL REVENUE

RECURRING REVENUE

OPERATING PROFIT

$130.7m

(UP 23%)

EBITDA(1)

$29.2m

(UP 17%)

5 YEAR REVENUE

I

S
N
O
L
L
M
$

I

150

120

90

60

30

0

$79.9m

(UP 24%)

$24.7m

(UP 21%)

OPERATING CASHFLOW

FINAL DIVIDEND

$27.6m

(UP 150%)

2.10 cents/share

(TOTAL FY18 DIVIDEND UP 27%)

One of the more pleasing aspects to the result was the 
improvement in the quality of the underlying EBITDA(1) 
as a percentage of revenue from the core operating 
businesses of Movio and Vista Cinema. Movio increased 
EBITDA% to 27% from 23%, and Vista Cinema improved 
its EBITDA% from 29% to 31%.

This result continues to highlight the key financial and 
operating strengths of Vista Group:

–  Consistent strong revenue growth

–  Strong annuity revenue

–  Sustained profitability

–  Positive operating cash generation

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

–  Leading global position in an expanding film industry

Vista Group produced strong revenue growth (23%), 
positive operating cash flow ($27.6m) and maintained 
a strong balance sheet to provide a platform for the 
continued growth of Vista Group. Earnings based 
on EBITDA(1) have improved 17% to $29.2m. 

Vista Group continues to be the global leader in 
delivering software and data analytics solutions to 
the film industry with group companies Vista Cinema, 
Movio, and Powster each number one globally in their 
respective market segments.

–  Dividend payer

The 2018 trading result has set Vista Group up for 
another strong year in 2019 with growth forecast 
across all the Group businesses. The high level of 
recurring revenue (61% in 2018) added to the key 
large agreements signed in 2018 provide a strong 
basis for the company in 2019 and 2020. 

(1)   EBITDA is a Non‑GAAP measure and is defined as earnings before net finance expense, income tax, depreciation, amortisation, acquisition 
costs and equity‑accounted results from associate companies. Expenses related to the VCL (Virtual Concepts Limited, trading as Movio) 
deferred consideration is also excluded. This is consistent with the measure used in the Prospectus dated 3 July 2014. Depreciation and 
amortisation in 2018 $4.2m (2017: $3.6m).

07
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
CINEMA

The Cinema segment is the largest within Vista Group and represents 63% of total revenue and 87% of EBITDA. 
For the fifth successive year Cinema has outperformed growth forecasts across all metrics; sites installed, 
revenue and EBITDA. The growth in the customer base is increasingly important not just for its revenue; it also 
creates opportunity for other Vista Group companies. Customers who are already using Vista Cinema products 
can benefit from the higher value that accrues when they use Vista Group’s wider integrated products. 

GLOBAL LEADER IN CINEMA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE  
FOR CINEMA EXHIBITORS IN THE LARGE CIRCUIT MARKET

Vista Cinema delivered another impressive performance 
in 2018 with 1,013 new cinema sites added, bringing the 
total site count worldwide to 7,202 (of which 958 are in 
China). These additional sites represent an increase of 
13.4% over 2017. This achievement equates to revenue 
growth of 22% and took Vista Cinema’s global share of 
the world’s large circuit market to 40%; excluding China, 
Vista Cinema’s global share has increased to 48%. 

An EBITDA performance of $25.6m represents stronger 
operating leverage of 31%, up from 29% in 2017.

Vista Cinema software was installed in cinemas in 12 
new countries, the most notable being Saudi Arabia and 
Sweden. These countries together with China, Japan, 
and Brazil, represent some of the largest new market 
opportunities for Vista Cinema in 2019 and beyond.

In 2018 Vista Cinema deployed the first customers 
live in the cloud, a landmark achievement in the Vista 
Cinema transition‑to‑the‑cloud journey. Additional 
customers following suit in 2019 is expected to create 
an uplift in recurring revenue. There were several 
new products and services on which development 
started in 2018, including Customer Experience 
Management (CXM), Omnichannel (more aligned 
digital sales channels), and Horizon (cloud‑based data 
warehouse and analytics). Effort to drive demand for 
these products is already underway and the customer 
response is extremely encouraging. 

Third party revenue for Vista Cinema reached $3.5m 
as a result of channel partnerships. Additional such 
partnerships are planned for 2019 and revenue 
is expected to continue to grow. 

NEW SITES ADDED

TOTAL SITE COUNT

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

2013

14

15

16

17

18

Existing Customers

New Customers

Acquisitions

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

2013

14

15

16

17

18

08
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
CINEMA

VISTA MARKET SHARE

Vista Cinema percentage of the world market for Cinema Exhibition Companies with 20+ screens.

85% CANADA
2,082/2,446 screens

29% EUROPE
6,014/20,497 screens

48% USA
16,505/34,230 screens

98% CENTRAL AMERICA
7,217/7,387 screens

58% MIDDLE EAST
1,661/2,886 screens

96% AFRICA
821/854 screens

38% SOUTH AMERICA
2,433/6,378 screens

40% WORLD WIDE
48,940/122,927 screens

22% ASIA
10,358/46,339 screens

97% AUSTRALASIA
1,849/1,910 screens

GLOBAL CLOUD–BASED CINEMA MANAGEMENT  
SOLUTION FOR CINEMA EXHIBITORS IN THE SMALL  
CIRCUIT (OR ‘INDEPENDENTS’) MARKET 

Veezi increased site numbers 40% (258) to reach 901 
contracted sites at year end, of which 93 are in China. 
A strong year for Box Office, as well as a general 
uptake in online ticketing sales, has resulted in a 
monthly average revenue lift of 14% to $588 per site. 
Combined with site number increases this has lifted 
the ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) at year end by 
59% to $6.35m. The number of countries with cinemas 
running Veezi has increased from 27 to 36.

Veezi continues to expand its product offering via 
the Vista Cinema software development model that 
includes a consistent new features release.

Veezi is expecting increased site numbers in 2019 as 
we progress opportunities in Europe, China and India, 
and continue to form channel partnerships to expand 
third party revenue.

TOTAL SITE COUNT

1,000

750

500

250

0

2013

14

15

16

17

18

09
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
MOVIO

The Movio segment is the second largest segment within Vista Group and represents 17.5% of total revenue. Movio 
delivered a terrific result in 2018 with revenue up 47% to $22.8m and EBITDA up 74% to $6.2m.

GLOBAL LEADER IN DATA DRIVEN MARKETING  
FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY

Movio’s purpose is to ‘Connect everyone with their 
ideal movie’. To date Movio has profiled hundreds of 
millions of box office admissions generated by more 
than 45M Active Moviegoers globally. It is this rich 
history that has allowed Movio to develop industry 
firsts in Artificial Intelligence capable of predicting the 
audience for every film. This functionality has captured 
the attention of Hollywood, with most of the major 
studios engaging in data‑led strategies using insights 
generated by Movio’s AI.

In terms of financial performance, Movio had another 
standout year with revenue growth of 47% and EBITDA 
growth of 74%. The core cinema business continued 
to perform well, expanding to 53 territories, including 
Brazil, India and Germany, increasing market share 
of cinemas with 20+ screens to 26%.

Movio’s studio‑focused offering Movio Media experienced 
a breakthrough year, growing revenue 122%, driven 
through all three product lines. The Research business 
continued to outperform adding Disney and Amazon 
Studios to the Fox deal signed in 2017.

The Movio Media Direct Campaign offering continued 
to perform well in the US, with the same offering 
going live in the UK, the first Media territory outside 
of the US. However, the standout performing product 
was the Digital Campaign offering.

Significant advancements in Movio’s digital campaign 
offering has enabled studios to engage with Moviegoers 

across their preferred digital channels using the most 
sophisticated behavioural based segments available, 
with success measured in terms of sales at the box 
office. To date, Movio has deployed numerous digital 
campaigns across the US for Viacom, Fox and STX 
to name a few.

In 2019, Movio will continue to invest in the digital 
product offering, enabling the roll out of additional 
territories along with expansion into the connected 
TV space. Through a deep understanding of moviegoer 
behaviour and the continued support of our exhibitor 
partners, we are confident Movio will continue to 
increase the already meaningful difference it is  
making at the box office globally. 

ACTIVE MOVIEGOERS  
(MILLIONS)

REVENUE/ 
ACTIVE MOVIEGOER  
(NZ CENTS)

2017

2018

2017

2018

USA

Rest of World

Global

24

21

45

20

25

45

45

23

35

86

22

51

CONNECTED MOVIEGOERS us only

8.3m

(UP 75%)

10
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
ADDITIONAL GROUP COMPANIES

The Additional Group Companies segment comprises the businesses of Powster, Maccs and Flicks. Together this 
segment represents 11.5% of total revenue and 4.8% of EBITDA.

GLOBAL LEADER IN FILM MARKETING PRODUCTS

Powster had a strong 2018 with significant growth 
achieved across its product set. Core movie destination 
sites created grew by 31% to a total of 1,769. Powster’s 
latest major product development, a Facebook 
Messenger experience for entertainment IP, has 
achieved over 80% engagement and is predicted 
to be a potentially strong revenue line in 2019.

The Powster Los Angeles studio has grown to a 
team of 12. ‘Powster Labs’ was also launched in 2018 
with a team focused on digital innovation for the 
entertainment industry. The London studio team  
is now 24 with new space planned for 2019 to  
allow for further expansion.

DESTINATION SITES

UK BOX OFFICE

1,769

(UP 31%)

95 out of 100

PLATFORMS / TOP RELEASES

MOVIE AND CINEMA REVIEW AND SHOWTIME GUIDE SITE

2018 saw the successful launch of audience growth 
initiatives for Flicks products in New Zealand and 
Australia. Off the back of this effort, Flicks significantly 
increased advertising sales.

This growth was most pronounced in Australia where 
the full potential of this larger market is beginning to 

be felt. 2019 will be about continuing to push audience 
and advertising sales growth in Australia.

Flicks’ Your Cinema product (cinema websites 
for independent cinemas) now has 80 sites live 
in 12 countries.

WORLD LEADING THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION SOFTWARE

Maccs performed below expectation which impacted 
the overall performance of this segment.

2018 was a transition year with the appointment  
of a new CEO in August and ongoing delivery of the 
Warner Bros. USA implementation project that was 
initiated in 2017. During the second half of the year  
a new management team was appointed, and 
meaningful actions were taken to restructure the 
organisation to better manage development  
capacity and resources overall. 

The go forward strategy is to complete restructuring 
to support expected growth across all core products. 
Additionally, a simplified theatrical distribution system 
targeting small to medium sized distributors will be 
introduced where there is a significant untapped 
market opportunity.

Growth opportunities also accrue from the continued 
deployment of MaccsBox, the box office reporting 
product now servicing over 6,000 cinema sites, and, 
potential operating synergies with Vista Group’s Numero. 

11
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
EARLY STAGE INVESTMENTS

This segment comprises businesses that are characterised as being in a start‑up phase. This means that they 
are yet to generate significant revenue or positive EBITDA and Vista Group is continuing to invest to bring them 
to market successfully.

Revenue doubled for this segment in 2018 to $4.5m (highlighted by mid‑year peaks in movieXchange ticket 
volumes) with a modest positive EBITDA of $0.4m.

FILM FORECASTING AND SCHEDULING

The revenue for Cinema Intelligence revenue grew nearly 
100% in 2018. Recurring revenue reached 84% leaving 
the company positioned well for continued growth 
in 2019. Sales in the EMEA region have progressed, 
targeting new customers in the UK and mid‑range 

exhibitor’s in the Nordic countries and the UAE. In the 
USA, Cinema Intelligence bedded down its Los Angeles 
office and secured several new important customers. Key 
integrations with Vista Cinema modules were completed 
in 2018 and are in beta with several customers.

REAL‑TIME DISTRIBUTION OF MOVIE MEDIA,  
TICKETS AND SHOWTIMES

MovieXchange enables the sharing of digital movie 
assets such as promotional media (MX Film) and  
allows third‑party online ticketing sales vendors to 
access the ticketing inventory of cinema exhibitors  
(MX Tickets).

MX Film made good progress integrating with 
exhibitors during 2018 and is now providing content 

from film studios to exhibitors that represents 
the servicing of 8,000+ screens. 

MX Tickets has continued adding vendors and 
exhibitors, with initial focus primarily on the USA 
but also some activity in EMEA. Ticket volumes 
and revenue are related to the performance of 
the supported vendors. 

SOCIAL APP TO SHARE VIDEO REACTION  
TO MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS

Stardust is a social media platform that enables users 
to connect with other fans in discussion of movies and 
television shows. Development efforts in the second half 
of 2018 were focused on enhancing the app to increase 

user engagement and retention. A new investment 
round in Stardust during 2018 was led by an external 
investor, and with this Stardust will move into the status 
of an associate company within Vista Group in 2019.

12
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

GROUP TRADING OVERVIEW
ASSOCIATES

Vista Group held two investments in associates at year end. 

BOX OFFICE TRACKING AND REPORTING PRODUCT

Numero’s revenue growth was strong in 2018 reaching 
$2.1m ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) by Q4/2018. 

USA coverage has increased and is tracking well 
toward the key 95% coverage level.

Numero has both full and partial coverage of cinemas 
across the world’s regions. Outside of the US, Numero 
reporting dashboards are available in 20+ countries 
representing significant growth and positive EBITDA.

Five major studios are contracted for international 
reporting with a sixth contracted for Australia and  
New Zealand with the expectation to extend to 
full international in Q3/2019. 

Numero is targeting positive EBITDA by the end  
of 2019.

VISTA GROUP CHINA JOINT VENTURE

Vista China grew its revenue by 19% to nearly $21m 
and made an EBITDA loss of $4.1m. The loss, however, 
included $5.9m of expenses from Vista Group for 
localisation and maintenance. Site numbers increased 
by 199 to a total of 958 which represents around 17% 
of the large cinema market in China. Growth in Veezi 
continued with a total of 93 sites installed at the end 
of 2018. The Beijing office is now fully staffed – with  
headcount in total across the 2 offices of 79. 

Local development capability was added during  
2018, with the focus being uniquely Chinese 
requirements to enhance the Vista Cinema offering. 
This has primarily taken the form of WeChat mini‑
programmes (which offer similar functionality  
to the way that apps are used outside of China),  
and software to enhance the integration with  
the third‑party ticketing providers.

Vista China won the business of the Stellar circuit 
during late 2018, and once this rollout is complete 
Vista China will have 3 of the top 5 (by site count) 
circuits in China as customers. 

GROWTH OUTLOOK

Growth in the Chinese film and cinema market was 
subdued by recent standards during 2018, with Box 
Office growth of 9%. Cinema building continues 
apace with growth of 18% over the year. 

There is significant potential for Vista in China 
in a number of areas:

•   Through increasing site market share in the large 

cinema market;

•   Continuing to establish Veezi in the smaller 

independent sites where the market size is large;

•   Increasing the share of online ticket sales processed 
for customers where a revenue share is obtained;

•   Building on the opportunities for other Group 

companies (in particular Movio) to implement their 
solutions in China.

As noted during 2018, Vista Group increased its 
shareholding in Vista China to 47.5%. It remains our 
intention to complete a transaction that enables 
Vista Group to consolidate and directly control the 
operations of Vista China. We will update the market 
as and when we make progress in this direction.

13
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

EMPLOYEES & RECRUITMENT

Our People

Vista Group’s success has been built on the premise  
of doing good things with good people. We have 
a continued focus on ensuring that we provide an 
environment where all our talented staff can do their 
best work, every day. Our ability to attract and retain 
talent has been at the heart of our success. Our staff 
not only deliver great customer outcomes but have 
fun together whilst doing so. We genuinely care for 
our staff and put their wellbeing at the heart of the 
decisions we make.

We acknowledge our responsibility as a key employer 
in the tech industry in New Zealand and we are looking 
to continue to take a leadership role in developing 
both our staff and our industry. 

Wellbeing

Vista Group’s wellness programmes continue to be 
well supported by our staff. During 2018, we’ve placed 
particular emphasis on encouraging a focus on mental 
wellbeing through education sessions, increased 
availability of employee assistance programmes 
(self‑referral where possible globally) and executive 
encouragement. Additional focus on physical 
wellbeing through staff‑led boot camps, global 
wellness programmes and healthy eating sessions 
have gained traction and become part of the fabric 
of the organisation during 2018.

Inclusion

Vista Group always looks for great talent and diversity 
of thought to lead the generation of fantastic ideas.

We believe that we have some of the most talented 
people in our industry and want to ensure that we 
provide an environment where everyone feels included 
and their ideas can be heard. This means we need 
to ensure that everyone feels safe (physically and 
mentally) and that they can bring their ‘Whole Selves’  
to work each day. 

We were proud to have achieved the Rainbow Tick in 
New Zealand. Being a Rainbow Tick employer means 
Vista Group NZ has been recognised as being a safe, 
supportive and welcoming workplace for our staff 
from the Rainbow community. 

ShadowTech and directly to schools in science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics, to improve 
the female participation pipeline for years to come. 

We have customers in 97 countries around the 
world and whilst our staff do not quite cover all those 
countries, we certainly represent a diverse range of 
nationalities with over 25 languages spoken by staff. 
This creates an enormous benefit to an outward 
looking, export oriented New Zealand business.

Relationship with Universities

Vista Group has established a strong relationship with 
The University of Auckland and a key project course 
run through the Information Systems department. 
For 10 years, we have had project teams in Vista to 
create prototypes of new modules, many of which have 
become part of the Vista Group product set. We are 
very proud of the fact that a high percentage of those 
staff have become permanent staff members upon 
graduating with many moving on to leadership roles. 

Vista Group has also created strong relationships 
with other Universities to share our knowledge with 
them and provide project work for students and 
specialist post graduate students. In the past two years 
we’ve hired graduates from all major Universities in 
New Zealand that provide software engineering courses. 

Vista Group sponsors SESA (Software Engineering 
Students Association) through organised co‑managed 
events to provide networking opportunities and ensure 
students learn a little about our company.

Interns and Graduates

Vista Group runs a strong intern and graduate 
recruitment programme as part of our dedication 
to developing the tech talent of tomorrow. The 
programme involves us bringing up to 12 interns  
into the business over summer. They work on  
projects and spend time in development teams.  
Part time work is offered through the year where  
this fits a student’s schedule. A testament to the  
success of the programme is that many of the  
interns join as graduates on completion of their  
studies. In addition, Vista Group companies run  
a strong graduate recruitment programme  
through the Universities to bring fresh new  
talent in to the organisation. 

Vista Group acknowledges that as a member of the 
tech sector we remain committed to increasing female 
participation internally; we have been proud to see 
the creation and thriving of women‑led groups that 
have provided training, mentoring and encouragement 
for our growing female contingent. In addition, the 
community outreach they are providing through 

Our recently released app – MX Slate (available on 
the Google Play and App Store) which details the 
upcoming schedule of film release times is a great 
example of the projects our interns deliver. With the 
guidance of our product owners and technical experts 
the interns produced a commercially viable product 
that we were able to deliver to market within 3 months. 

14
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

ROBOTICS

TAXES AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REVENUE

On a smaller scale, Vista Group has for many years 
been a supporter of one of the most successful 
secondary school VEX robotics teams in New Zealand. 
The Lynfield College team (a west Auckland school) 
has won several world titles (held in the USA) and 
through Vista sponsorship and help from Vista staff 
this has assisted the team with travel costs and the 
building of the Robots.

TAXES PAID

Vista Group is committed to good corporate 
citizenship and understands the importance of paying 
tax and the positive contribution that tax makes to  
the jurisdictions in which it operates. Vista Group does 
not actively structure its businesses or policies to 
divert profits to low tax jurisdictions or tax havens.  
The largest single cost element within Vista Group  
is employee/contractor costs. This means that  
in addition to income taxes Vista Group is a  
significant payer of payroll‑based taxes in all the 
jurisdictions in which it operates. Vista Group uses 
payroll practices and systems approved in each 
jurisdiction to ensure that it meets all obligations  
with respect to correctly deducting and paying  
these taxes to the local tax authorities.

The pie chart shows the share of total revenue that 
taxes represent. The bar graph shows taxes as a 
percentage of trading net profit.

6.1%

13.7%

16.1%

64.1%

Income Tax

Payroll Tax

Trading Net Profit

Business Expenses

TAXES AS A PERCENTAGE OF TRADING NET PROFIT

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

61.2%

27.5%

Income Tax

Payroll Taxes

15
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Changes to the Foundation Board of Trustees in 2018 
were the retirement from the Board of our Chairperson 
Joe Moodabe – a long‑time New Zealand film industry 
practitioner and advocate. This saw John Barnett 
– a highly respected New Zealander in the industry – 
join the board, and existing Trustee Ross Churchouse 
appointed as the new Chair. 

Vista Group has confirmed contributions to the 
Foundation over the next three years; the initial 
$100,000 contributed in 2018 and up to a further 
$200,000 committed over 2019 and 2020 to match 
external funding raised directly by the Foundation. 
This provides an excellent platform for the ongoing 
work in meeting the Foundation’s primary aims.

VISTA FOUNDATION

Continuing its commitment to the health and success 
of the New Zealand film industry, the Vista Foundation 
extended both its funding pool and funding 
commitments in 2018.

The principal aim of the Foundation is to foster a 
viable, successful, and inclusive local film industry 
in New Zealand. By providing support and education 
for necessary skills and expertise, the Foundation 
encourages the production of exceptional works 
of New Zealand cinema, as well as extends the 
opportunities available to more groups  
and individuals. 

The Foundation has provided funding, or has funding 
in progress, for the following projects:

•   The Filmmaker Incubator for Women Directors – 
in conjunction with the Directors & Editors Guild 
of New Zealand.

•   The Outlook for Someday Filmmaking Challenge – 

in conjunction with the Connected Media Charitable 
Trust; 3 sustainability filmmaking workshops providing 
opportunity for vulnerable and at‑risk young people.

•   The launch of the Pan‑Asian Screen Collective 
– a new Incorporated Society whose goal is for 
“New Zealand’s cultural landscape to honestly reflect 
pan‑Asian faces, creativity, expertise, experience 
and history on and behind our screens”.

•   The Margaret Thomson Documentary Award 
– in conjunction with The Arts Foundation of 
New Zealand, The New Zealand International Film 
Festival and The New Zealand Film Commission; 
a biennial grant to a panel‑selected documentary 
filmmaker to support the continuation of 
documentary filmmaking.

16
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 FINANCIAL 

STATEMENTS

CORPORATE INFORMATION

CORPORATE INFORMATION

DIRECTORS

Kirk Senior 

Murray Holdaway 

Brian Cadzow 

Susan Peterson 

James Ogden 

Cris Nicolli

REGISTERED OFFICE

Level 3 

60 Khyber Pass Road 

Grafton 

Auckland, 1023 

New Zealand 

Phone +64 9 984 4570

NATURE OF BUSINESS

Provision of management solutions for the film industry

COMPANY NUMBER

1353402

ARBN

600 417 203

AUDITOR

PricewaterhouseCoopers

188 Quay St 

Auckland, 1142

SOLICITORS

New Zealand

DLA Piper New Zealand 

Hudson Gavin Martin 

Chapman Tripp

50‑64 Customhouse Quay  

Level 8 

Level 35 

PO Box 2791  

Wellington, 6140  

2 Commerce Street 

23 Albert Street 

Auckland 1010 

Auckland 1010

UK

DLA Piper UK LLP

1 St Paul’s Place 

Sheffield S1 2JX 

United Kingdom

USA

DLA Piper LLP (US)

Hernandez Shaeldel & Assoc

550 South Hope Street, Suite 2300 

2 North Lake Ave, Suite 930 

Los Angeles, CA 90071‑2678 

Pasadena, CA 91101 

USA

Canada

USA

China

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

1 First Canadian Place, 44th Floor 

28th Floor Office Tower Beijing Yintai Centre 

Toronto, Ontario 

Canada, M5X 1B1

2 Jianguomenwai Avenue  

Chaoyang District  

Beijing 100022

18
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Australia

Link Market Services Ltd 

Level 12, 680 George St 

Sydney 

NSW 2000

Bank of New Zealand

Deloitte Centre 

80 Queen Street 

Auckland, 1142

Barclays Bank PLC

1 Churchill Place 

London, E14 5HP 

United Kingdom

SHARE REGISTRY

New Zealand

BANKERS

Link Market Services Ltd

Level 11, Deloitte Centre 

80 Queen Street  

Auckland 1010

New Zealand

ASB Bank Limited

PO Box 35  

Shortland St 

Auckland, 1140

UK

HSBC Bank PLC

2nd Floor, 62‑76 Park St 

London, SE1 9DZ 

United Kingdom

USA

HSBC Bank USA, NA

660 South Figueroa Street 

Los Angeles 

California 90017 

USA

China

HSBC Bank (China) Coy. Ltd.

China Merchant Bank

Level 30, HSBC Building 

18F, Bus Plaza 

Shanghai ifc 

No. 398 Huaihai Zhong Road 

8 Century Avenue, Pudong 

Shanghai 200020 

Shanghai 200120 

People’s Republic of China

People’s Republic of China

Australia

Netherlands

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

ING Bank

Level 10, 101 George St 

Parramatta 

NSW 2150 

Australia

Mexico

Citi Banamex

Amsterdam se Poort 

Bijlmerplein 888 

1102 MG Amsterdam 

The Netherlands

HSBC Mexico

Suc.701 Campestre Churubusco 

S.A.Av Paseodela 

Ave. Taxquena #1565 

Petrolera, Tanquena 

Coyoacan 

Federal District CP04410 

Mexico

Reforma 347 

Piso 17 

Col. Cuauhtemoc 

C.P 06500 

Mexico

19
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

The Board of Directors present the financial statements of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2018 and the 
independent auditor’s report thereon.

The directors are responsible, on behalf of the Company, for presenting these consolidated financial statements in 
accordance with applicable New Zealand legislation and generally acceptable accounting practices in New Zealand 
in order to present consolidated financial statements that present fairly, in all material respects, the financial 
position of the Group as at 31 December 2018 and the results of the Group’s operations and cash flows for the 
year then ended. 

For and on behalf of the Board of Directors who approved these financial statements for issue on 26 February 2019.

Kirk Senior  
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN  
26 February 2019 

Susan Peterson 
DIRECTOR 
26 February 2019 

20
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Revenue

Total revenue
Sales and marketing expenses
Operating expenses
Administration expenses
Acquisition expenses
Foreign currency gains

Total expenses

Operating Profit
Finance costs
Finance income
Share of loss from associates

Profit before tax
Tax expense

Profit for the period

Profit for the period is attributable to:
Owners of the parent
Non‑controlling interests

Other comprehensive income 

Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss:
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations, net of tax

Items that will not be reclassified to profit and loss:
Excess income tax benefit on share‑based payments

  SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018

2017

2.1

130,716

106,623

3.1, 7.4

3

8.1

130,716

8,469

59,866

38,281

308

(914)

106,623

7,669

51,676

26,689

960

(770)

106,010

86,224

24,706

(1,044)

404

(3,021)

21,045

(8,011)

20,399

(680)

350

(3,256)

16,813

(6,830)

13,034

9,983

12,258

776

13,034

1,179

166

9,676

307

9,983

3,146

-

Total comprehensive income for the period

14,379

13,129

Total comprehensive income for the period is attributable to:
Owners of the parent
Non‑controlling interests

Earnings per share for profit attributable to the equity holders of the parent 
Basic (cents per share)
Diluted (cents per share) 

6.2

6.2

The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

13,525

854

14,379

$0.07 

$0.07 

12,768

361

13,129

$0.06 

$0.06 

21
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE OWNERS OF THE PARENT

CONTRIBUTED 
EQUITY

RETAINED 
EARNINGS

FOREIGN 
CURRENCY 
RESERVE

SHARE-BASED 
PAYMENT 
RESERVE

NON-
CONTROLLING 
INTERESTS

TOTAL

TOTAL 
EQUITY

SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

57,821

75,206

2,101

1,749

136,877

11,224

148,101

7.7 

‑

(1,295)

‑

‑

(1,295)

(40)

(1,335)

57,821

‑

‑

-

‑

192

841

‑

524

73,911

12,258

166

2,101

‑

1,101

12,424

1,101

‑

12

‑

(5,510)

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

1,749

135,582

11,184

146,766

‑

‑

-

‑

‑

1,570

12,258

1,267

776

78

13,034

1,345

13,525

854

14,379

‑

1,907

1,907

204

2,411

(204)

‑

6

2,417

‑

(5,510)

(563)

(6,073)

(524)

‑

‑

‑

6.4

6.3

6.1

Balance at 31 December 2017
Change in accounting policy

Restated total equity at 
1 January 2018
Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners in 
their capacity as owners: 
Issue of equity
Non‑controlling interest 
change
Share‑based payments
Dividends paid
VCL share based payment

Balance at 31 December 2018

59,378

80,837

3,202

2,795

146,212

13,184

159,396

Balance at 1 January 2017 
Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners in 
their capacity as owners:
Issue of equity
Share‑based payments
Dividends paid
VCL share based payment
Acquisition of non‑controlling 
interests

55,654

‑

‑

-

71,281

9,676

(991)

‑

‑

3,092

9,676

3,092

1,107

249

‑

811

‑

‑

‑

(5,751)

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

1,695

127,639

10,728

138,367

‑

‑

-

‑

466

9,676

3,092

307

54

9,983

3,146

12,768

361

13,129

1,107

715

‑

37

1,107

752

‑

(5,751)

(699)

(6,450)

(412)

399

‑

399

‑

‑

797

797

Balance at 31 December 2017

57,821

75,206

2,101

1,749

136,877

11,224

148,101

The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. 

22
22
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

CURRENT ASSETS
Cash
Trade and other receivables
Income tax receivable

Total current assets

NON-CURRENT ASSETS
Property, plant and equipment
Investment in associates
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
Deferred tax asset

Total non-current assets

Total assets

CURRENT LIABILITIES
Trade and other payables
Deferred revenue
Borrowings related party
Income tax payable

Total current liabilities

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
Borrowings related party
Borrowings external
Deferred revenue
Contingent consideration
Provisions
Deferred tax liability

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Contributed equity
Retained earnings
Foreign currency revaluation reserve
Share‑based payment reserve

Total equity attributable to owners of the parent
Non‑controlling interests

Total equity

  SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018

2017

5.1

5.5

3.1

5.3

5.2

8.2

5.6

4.2

4.2

4.2

7.4

8.2

6.1

6.4

34,353

61,353

919

20,954

71,119

212

96,625

92,285

5,358

31,879

63,947

20,441

2,836

4,637

26,066

62,844

16,061

2,342

124,461

111,950

221,086

204,235

18,602

21,396

‑

3,729

14,769

23,751

614

2,069

43,727

41,203

868

11,076

4,491

‑

508

1,020

‑

10,709

1,379

908

292

1,643

17,963

14,931

61,690

56,134

159,396

148,101

59,378

80,837

3,202

2,795

146,212

13,184

57,821

75,206

2,101

1,749

136,877

11,224

159,396

148,101

For and on behalf of the Board who authorised these financial statements for issue on 26 February 2019.

Kirk Senior Chairman 

Susan Peterson Chair Audit and Risk Committee

The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

23
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

CASHFLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Receipts from customers
Interest received
Payments to suppliers
Taxes paid
Interest paid

Net cash inflow from operating activities

CASHFLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Internally generated software and other intangibles
Proceeds from disposal of intangibles
Related party loan advance – Numero
Acquisition of a business, net of cash acquired
Contingent consideration paid
Proceeds from Vista China transaction

Net cash applied to investing activities

CASHFLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Loans and borrowings
Dividends paid to non‑controlling interest
Dividends paid to the owners of the parent

Net cash (applied to)/generated from financing activities

Net increase in cash 
Cash at the beginning of the year
Foreign exchange differences

Cash at the end of the year

The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

  SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018

2017

132,427

105,143

55

(96,034)

(8,192)

(677)

86

(87,141)

(6,784)

(259)

27,579

11,045

(2,488)

(7,914)

1,388

(1,270)

‑

‑

165

(1,629)

(5,005)

‑

(1,703)

(7,545)

(2,824)

8,301

(10,119)

(10,405)

213

(563)

(5,510)

(5,860)

11,600

20,954

1,799

6,475

(699)

(5,751)

25

665

21,338

(1,049)

34,353

20,954

5.5

5.2

3.2

7.4

3.1

4.2

6.3

24
24
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

General information 

The notes are consolidated into ten sections. Each section contains an introduction which is indicated by the 
symbol above. The first section outlines general information about Vista Group International Limited (the Company 
and its subsidiaries, collectively Vista Group) and guidance on how to navigate through this document.

Accounting policies 

The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of these financial statements are set out throughout 
the document where they are applicable. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented, 
unless otherwise stated. Accounting policies are identified by the symbol above.

Critical judgements and estimates in applying the accounting policies

Further details of the nature of these critical judgements and estimates may be found throughout the financial 
statements as they are applicable and are identified by the symbol above.

Section 3.1 

Vista China 

Page 28 

Carrying value of investment in Vista China

Section 3.2 

Numero Limited 

Page 31 

Recoverability of loan to Numero Limited

Section 5.2 

Intangible assets 

Page 34 

Capitalisation of development costs

Section 5.4 

Impairment testing 

Page 36 

Assumptions used in testing Goodwill for impairment

Section 6.4 

Share‑based payments 

Page 41 

Fair value and number of equity instruments

Section 8.2 

Deferred income tax 

Page 57 

Recognition of deferred tax asset

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

These financial statements are for Vista Group which is a company incorporated and domiciled in New Zealand, 
and whose shares are publicly traded on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) and the Australian Securities 
Exchange (ASX). 

The Company is registered under the Companies Act 1993 and is an FMC reporting entity under Part 7 of the 
Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. The financial statements of Vista Group have been prepared in accordance 
with the requirements of Part 7 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and the NZX Main Board Listing Rules. 

In accordance with the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, because financial statements are prepared and 
presented for Vista Group, separate financial statements for the Company are not presented.

The principal activity of Vista Group is the sale, support and associated development of software for the film industry.

These financial statements were approved by the Directors on 26 February 2019.

2. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

This section outlines further details of Vista Group’s financial performance by building on information presented 
in the statement of comprehensive income.

2.1  REVENUE

Vista Group recognises revenue when performance obligations have been settled. A performance obligation 
is settled when the customer has received all of the benefits associated with the performance obligation. 
The following sections detail the type of revenue recognised within each category. Effective from 1 January 2018, 
Vista Group adopted NZ IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers, this did not result in significant changes 
in accounting policies related to the recognition of revenue. Refer to section 7.7 for details regarding the method 
and timing of revenue recognition.

Product

Product revenue comprises different items across each of Vista Group’s operating segments. Within the Cinema 
segment, product revenue relates primarily to fees charged for perpetual software licenses. The exception is the 
Veezi subscription‑based software which is charged monthly.

Movio segment product revenue relates to annual access fees for cloud‑hosted marketing and analytics platforms. 

25
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The Additional Group Companies segment recognises product revenue for perpetual licensing within the Maccs 
business. Also within this segment, is the Powster business which includes website and marketing platform revenue 
within the product category.

Maintenance

Maintenance services are billed in advance for a fixed term. Revenue is recorded within deferred revenue on the 
statement of financial position and recognised on a straight‑line basis over the term of the contract billing period, 
as services are provided. Maintenance revenue relates to fees charged for support services and upgrades to 
software applications. 

Services

Services revenue comprises fees charged for value‑add services which are one‑off charges. Revenue is recognised 
when the service is complete or on a stage of completion basis. 

Development

Development revenue comprises the revenue associated with bespoke development effort as requested and paid 
for by customers. This category includes revenue associated with development services to deliver the localisation 
of Vista Group software under the reseller agreement with Vista China. This revenue is recognised on a stage of 
completion basis as the performance obligations are delivered.

Hardware

Revenue from hardware is recognised at a point in time when delivery has been made and an invoice issued to 
the customer. This category has been added in the 2018 financial statements due to the materiality of hardware 
revenue recognised during the period. 

Other revenue 

Other revenue comprises revenue earned primarily from advertising and variable processing fees. 

Product
Maintenance
Services
Development
Hardware
Other

Revenue

2018

NZ$’000

62,842

43,261

12,665

8,220

3,231

497

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

44,638

39,405

9,947

11,882

76

675

130,716

106,623

No individual customer exceeded 10% of revenue in 2018 or 2017. 

2.2  OPERATING SEGMENTS 

Vista Group operates in the vertical cinema/film market via four operating segments and a corporate segment. 
The Chief Executive and the Board of Vista Group are considered to be the Chief Operating Decision Maker 
(CODM) in terms of NZ IFRS 8 Operating Segments. These segments have been defined based on the reports 
regularly reviewed by the CODM to make strategic decisions. 

The Cinema segment includes software associated with cinema management via the Vista software suite of 
products, plus the cloud based Veezi product for smaller scale cinemas. The Movio segment includes Movio 
Cinema and Movio Media that provide data analytics and campaign management. The Additional Group 
Companies segment is an aggregation of the Maccs, Powster and Flicks businesses, none of which individually 
exceed the 10% threshold for segment revenue or profitability that would require separate disclosure under NZ 
IFRS 8. The Early Stage Investments segment includes businesses that are in the start‑up phase of their life cycle. 
In FY2018, this segment includes Stardust, movieXchange and Share Dimension (Cinema Intelligence). Similar to 
the Additional Group Companies segment, none of the businesses included in this segment individually exceed 
the 10% threshold for segment revenue or profitability that would require separate disclosure under NZ IFRS 8. 

26
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The Corporate segment contains the shared services functions associated with Vista Group International, being 
legal, finance, and senior management. Revenue received from the associate company Vista Entertainment 
Solutions (Shanghai) Limited (Vista China) is recognised within the corporate segment. 

CINEMA

MOVIO

ADDITIONAL 
GROUP 
COMPANIES

EARLY STAGE 
INVESTMENTS

CORPORATE

TOTAL

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018 

Timing of revenue recognition
At a point in time
Over time

31,664

50,768

9,291

13,513

1,826

13,220

Total revenue
Operating expenses
Sales, general and administration expenses
Foreign currency gains/(losses)

82,432

22,804

15,046

(40,669)

(17,828)

1,632

(9,676)

(6,989)

106

(7,289)

(6,433)

80

3,727

816

4,543

(2,046)

(2,070)

‑

5,891

46,508

84,208

5,891

130,716

(186)

(59,866)

(9,274)

(42,594)

13

(917)

914

EBITDA(1)

25,567

6,245

1,404

440

(4,486)

29,170

CINEMA

MOVIO

ADDITIONAL 
GROUP 
COMPANIES

EARLY STAGE 
INVESTMENTS

CORPORATE

TOTAL

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2017 RESTATED

Timing of revenue recognition
At a point in time
Over time

23,282

44,350

5,718

9,772

Total revenue
Operating expenses
Sales, general and administration expenses
Foreign currency gains/(losses)

67,632

15,490

(35,259)

(14,221)

1,684

(7,575)

(4,361)

38

7,159

5,166

12,325

(7,066)

(4,513)

(115)

741

437

1,178

(1,357)

(1,572)

(15)

‑

9,998

36,900

69,723

9,998

106,623

(419)

(51,676)

(6,063)

(30,730)

(822)

770

EBITDA(1)

19,836

3,592

631

(1,766)

2,694

24,987

A reconciliation of EBITDA(1) to operating profit before tax for the year is provided below as follows:

EBITDA(1)
Depreciation and Amortisation

EBIT(2)
Finance income
Finance costs
Acquisition expenses
Share of loss from associates
Tax expense

Profit for the year

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

29,170

(4,156)

25,014

404

(1,044)

(308)

(3,021)

(8,011)

24,987

(3,628)

21,359

350

(680)

(960)

(3,256)

(6,830)

13,034

9,983

(1)   EBITDA is a non‑GAAP measure and is defined as earnings before net finance costs, income tax, depreciation and amortisation, acquisition 

costs, capital gains/losses and equity accounted results from associate companies.

(2)   EBIT is a non‑GAAP measure and is defined as earnings before net finance costs, income tax, acquisition costs, capital gains/losses and 

equity accounted results from associate companies.

27
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Revenue by domicile of entity

Vista Group recognises revenue within entities across several jurisdictions. Revenue is allocated to geographical 
regions based on where the sale is recorded by each operating entity within Vista Group. Independent resellers are 
used to promote Vista Group’s products in multiple jurisdictions. The revenues recognised via these independent 
resellers are not allocated geographically, rather they are shown within the New Zealand and United Kingdom 
jurisdictions based on the location of the transacting Vista Group entity.

The Other category in the tables below include entities in the Netherlands, Germany, Romania and South Africa. 
The comparatives below have been restated to separately disclose Mexico.

DOMICILE OF ENTITY

New Zealand
United States
United Kingdom
Mexico
Other

Revenue

2018

NZ$’000

34,282

45,574

27,740

15,674

7,446

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

36,404

33,722

24,090

5,416

6,991

130,716

106,623

Non-current assets by domicile of entity

Non‑current operating assets by location of the reporting entity are presented in the following table.

DOMICILE OF ENTITY

New Zealand
United States
United Kingdom
Mexico
Other

2018

NZ$’000

43,164

8,697

8,822

11,388

20,511

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

35,492

8,589

9,789

10,766

21,248

Note that investment in associates are excluded from the non‑current assets balance presented.

3. ASSOCIATE COMPANIES

3.1  VISTA CHINA

Vista China is an associate company that has been accounted for using the equity method in the financial statements. 

Acquisition of a further 7.9% in Vista China

On 20 February 2018, Vista Group announced that it has signed agreements to reacquire an additional 7.9% of equity 
in Vista China for $7.6m, from its partner, Beijing Weying Technology Co. Ltd (WePiao). These agreements were 
subject to regulatory approval in China which was obtained in August 2018. This transaction, effective 24 August 
2018, increased the total shareholding in Vista China to 47.5% and resulted in an increase to goodwill of $5.5m. 

The amount payable to WePiao of $7.6m, for the purchase of the additional equity in Vista China, was offset 
against remaining amounts owing from WePiao in respect of the initial transaction in 2016 of $8.7m. Further details 
of this transaction are included in the 2016 annual report. To complete the transaction a further $0.2m in cash was 
received from WePiao. Withholding taxes of $1.0m were unrecoverable and were expensed as acquisition costs in 
the statement of comprehensive income. 

28
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

A summary of the transaction flows is detailed below:

WePiao receivable from initial transaction
Amount offset against receivable
Cash received from WePiao
Withholding tax not recoverable

The carrying value of the investment in the associate Vista China held by Vista Group is detailed below:

Opening carrying amount
Share Vista China loss prior to acquisition at 39.53%

Carrying amount prior to additional investment 
Vista Group additional investment 7.9%

Carrying amount after additional investment
Share of Vista China loss at 47.5%

Carrying amount

Opening net assets
Loss for the period

Closing net assets

Vista Group interest
Vista Group share
Goodwill

Carrying amount

NZ$’000

8,723

(7,564)

(165)

(994)

NZ$’000

26,066

(1,094)

24,972

7,564

32,536

(657)

31,879

2017

NZ$’000

32,780

(4,055)

28,725

39.53%

11,355

14,711

2018

NZ$’000

28,725

(4,150)

24,575

47.50%

11,673

20,206

31,879

26,066

Carrying value of Vista China

An independent indicative valuation of Vista China was carried out at 31 December 2018 based on a Discounted 
Cashflow method (DCF) and capitalisation of revenue (Revenue) method. Judgement was applied by management 
to estimate the 5‑year operating performance of Vista China upon which this valuation was based. 

A summary of the key inputs and outcomes of the indicative valuation is presented below.

METHOD

INVESTMENT

ENTERPRISE VALUE

VISTA GROUP SHARE AT 47.5%

DISCOUNT RATE / MULTIPLE

Indicative value

Vista China

$107m – $127m

$50.8m – $60.3m

Discount rate: 20% – 25%

29
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Vista China trading result

A summarised income statement for Vista China and a reconciliation to the equity accounted loss recognised 
in Vista Group is detailed below. This has been amended to reflect adjustments made to align the associate 
accounting policies to Vista Group accounting policies.

Revenue
Total expenses

Operating loss
Finance (expense)/income

Loss for the period

Vista Group equity accounted interest – through August 2018
Vista Group equity accounted interest – 24 August 2018 to 31 December 2018

2018

NZ$’000

20,583

(24,563)

(3,980)

(170)

(4,150)

39.53%

47.50%

2017

NZ$’000

17,259

(21,370)

(4,111)

56

(4,055)

39.53%

‑

Vista Group equity accounted loss for the period

(1,751)

(1,603)

A summarised statement of financial position is presented below:

Cash
Trade and other receivables

Total current assets
Total non‑current assets

Total assets

Total liabilities

Effect of translation

Net assets

Related party balances

2018

NZ$’000

26,366

11,582

37,948

1,315

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

31,178

17,036

48,214

316

39,263

48,530

(13,239)

(18,719)

(1,449)

(1,086)

24,575

28,725

Related party transactions have been undertaken during FY2018 as defined under the reseller agreement. 
The reseller agreement specifies transactions related to localisation work, support and maintenance fees and 
payment for an exclusive 10 year distribution right for all Vista Group software with a right of renewal for 
another 10 year period. 

ENTITY

Vista China
Vista China

Net receivable

NATURE OF TRANSACTIONS

Related party receivable
Related party payable

RECEIVABLE/ 
(PAYABLE)

RECEIVABLE/ 
(PAYABLE)

2018

NZ$’000

6,838

(4,791)

2,047

2017

NZ$’000

12,780

(3,199)

9,581

During 2018, the related party receivable reduced by $5.9m subsequent to the receipt of the final tranche 
of localisation revenue under the reseller agreement entered into in 2016. 

30
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Related party transactions for the year were as follows:

Development fees
Maintenance fees
Service fees
Recoverable expenses

Total

2018

NZ$’000

3,824

2,067

87

(22)

2017

NZ$’000

7,931

2,067

‑

62

5,956

10,060

During 2018, Vista Group recognised $6.0m of revenue from Vista China (2017: $10.0m). The statement of financial 
position includes $1.4m (2017: $7.3m) as deferred revenue for maintenance which will be recognised over the next year. 

The related party receivable of $6.8m (2017: $12.8m) includes $5.6m (2017: $5.4m) for receivables owing prior 
to the sale of a controlling stake in Vista China and $1.2m (2017: $7.3m) relates to amounts owing under the 
reseller agreement between Vista Group and Vista China. Subsequent to year end, Vista Group and Vista China 
have settled all outstanding related party amounts receivable and payable at 31 December 2018. As part of this 
settlement, Vista Group agreed to forgo $0.8m of the related party receivable. This has been recognised in 
administration expenses in the statement of comprehensive income. 

All of the related party transactions during the year were made on normal commercial terms.

3.2  NUMERO LIMITED

Vista Group has a 50% interest in Numero Limited (Numero), an associate that is accounted for using the equity 
method in the financial statements. Vista Group ceased to recognise further losses in FY2015 related to Numero 
as accumulated losses would exceed Vista Group’s equity interest.

Recoverability of loan to Numero Limited

Management has applied judgement to estimate the amount recoverable from Numero Limited. Cashflow 
estimates were projected based on a 5‑year strategic business plan as approved by the Numero Board. As a result 
of this analysis, a further provision of $1.3m (2017: $1.7m) was recognised in relation to advances made to Numero. 
This brings the provision for impairment to $3.0m in total. 

During the year, the loan and all other related party advances were converted into a loan facility from Vista Group 
International Limited, with a term of 5 years and limit of $9.5m. The loan amount is unsecured, and no guarantees 
are in place. Interest of 6% (2017: 10%) is charged against the loan under the loan agreement. 

ENTITY

NATURE OF TRANSACTIONS

Numero Limited
Numero Limited
Numero Limited

Total

Related party loan
Related party advance
Provision for impairment

2018

NZ$’000

8,386

‑

(2,973)

5,413

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

2,621

4,495

(1,703)

5,413

The types of related party transactions undertaken during the year relate to recharges for development work 
undertaken and advances made. 

Recharges – license fees
Recharges – development fees
Recharges – other advances
Recharges – interest on loan

Total

2018

NZ$’000

2017

NZ$’000

360

531

127

252

329

459

653

262

1,270

1,703

During the year, Numero made a loss of $2.1m, Vista Group’s share being $1.0m (2017: $1.0m). 

31
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

4. CASH, BORROWINGS AND CASH FLOWS

This section builds on information from the statement of cash flows and provides details on the cash and cash 
equivalents held on the statement of financial position. This section also provides details of a range of financial risks 
associated with these balances and how Vista Group manages these risks. Cash comprises cash at bank and on hand. 

4.1  RECONCILIATION OF NET SURPLUS TO CASH FLOWS

Net profit after tax
Non‑cash items:
Amortisation 
Depreciation
Share‑based payment expense
Non‑cash finance charges
Acquisition expenses
Loss from investment in associates
Deferred tax
Foreign exchange movements
Expected credit loss
Doubtful debt expense

Net non-cash items

Movements in working capital:
Increase in related party trade and other payables
Decrease in related party trade and other receivables,  
net of deferred revenue
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables
(Increase) in trade and other receivables, net of deferred revenue
(Decrease) in taxation receivable and payable

Net change in working capital 

  SECTION

5.2

5.5

6.5

3.1, 7.4

3.1

7.7

5.1

3.1

3.1

2018

NZ$’000

13,034

2,480

1,676

2,417

260

1,024

1,751

1,007

(440)

(257)

(164)

2017

NZ$’000

9,983

2,349

1,279

752

318

399

3,256

‑

(487)

‑

840

9,754

8,706

1,593

508

5,942

2,457

(5,037)

(164)

4,791

6,231

(4,713)

(9,240)

(430)

(7,644)

Net cash inflow from operating activities 

27,579

11,045

The increase in trade and other receivables, net of deferred revenue, includes an adjustment of $8.7m related 
to the WePiao receivable from 2017. Refer to section 3.1 for further detail.

4.2  BORROWINGS

Borrowings are initially recognised at fair value less directly attributable transaction costs and subsequently 
measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Borrowing costs are expensed as incurred.

In November 2017, Vista Group established a senior facility agreement with ASB. The facility includes the previously 
established NZD $2.0m commercial credit overdraft facility and the EUR €3.0m term loan as well as the USD $4.0m 
term loan facility. 

The NZD $2.0m commercial credit overdraft facility is used to fund working capital as required with no set expiry 
date. The interest rate is floating and was 6.12% for 2018 (2017: 6.18%). At balance date, there was no draw down 
against this facility.

The EUR €3.0m term loan was initially established in March 2014 to acquire 25.1% of the share capital of Maccs 
International BV. The loan matures on 12 March 2020 and the current interest rate is 2.97% (2017: 3.03%) per annum. 

The USD $4.0m term loan was established to fund part of the acquisition of Senda Direccion Technologica SA De 
CV (Vista Latin America) in FY2017. The loan matures on 31 October 2021 and the current interest rate is 5.59% per 
annum (2017: 4.44%). 

32
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Security for the senior facility agreement with ASB is secured by a general security agreement under which the 
bank has a security interest in all Vista Group’s tangible assets. Covenants in place include a total equity and EBITDA 
covenant which are reported quarterly. Vista Group has been fully compliant with all covenants for the year.

Related party borrowings include loans from minority shareholders for Maccs and Share Dimension. Amounts 
related to Share Dimension are from the minority shareholder, Tanasescu Holdings and amount to $0.7m (2017: 
$0.6m). The loan from Tanasescu Holdings matures on 30 April 2020 and the current interest rate is 5% per annum. 
The loans from the Maccs minority shareholders amount to $0.2m (2017: nil) and expire on 30 April 2020 with a 
current interest rate of 5% per annum. The loans are in place to contribute towards the working capital requirements.

Borrowings related party
Borrowings external

Total borrowings

The table below details the movement in borrowings during the year:

Borrowings related party:
Opening

Additional borrowing – Maccs minority shareholders
Movement in foreign exchange

Balance at 31 December

Borrowings external:
Opening
Movement in foreign exchange

Balance at 31 December

2018

NZ$’000

868

11,076

11,944

2017

NZ$’000

614

10,709

11,323

2018

NZ$’000

614

213

41

868

10,709

367

11,076

5. ASSETS AND LIABILITiES

This section outlines further details of Vista Group’s financial performance by building on information presented 
in the statement of financial position.

5.1  TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

Trade receivables
Sundry receivables
Accrued revenue
Prepayments
Related party loan – Numero
Related party advance – Numero

Total trade and other receivables

  SECTION

3.2

2018

NZ$’000

44,293

3,877

4,853

2,917

5,413

‑

61,353

2017

NZ$’000

45,618

11,414

6,193

2,481

2,621

2,792

71,119

Vista Group has recognised a loss of $0.2m (2017: $0.1m) in respect of bad debts during the year ended 31 December 
2018. The impairment allowance included in trade receivables as at 31 December 2018 was $0.8m (2017: $1.0m). 
The related party loan to Numero is presented net of the provision for impairment of $3.0m (2017: $1.7m) see section 
3.2 for more detail. Included within trade receivables is a receivable from Vista China of $6.8m (2017: $12.8m) refer 
to section 3.1 for further detail. The movement in sundry receivables is primarily due to the offset of the receivable 
from WePiao of $8.7m (2017: $8.7m) for an additional 7.9% stake in Vista China. Refer to section 3.1 for more detail. 

33
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The following table summarises the impact of doubtful debt and expected credit loss provision on the trade 
receivables balance. See section 7.7 for more detail on the accounting policies that impact trade receivables:

Trade receivables – gross
IFRS 9 expected credit loss provision
Doubtful debts provision

Trade receivables – net of provisions

The movement in the provision for doubtful debts during the year was as follows:

Opening balance
Bad debt written off
Change in provision

Closing balance

5.2  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Intangible assets

2018

NZ$’000

46,191

(1,086)

(812)

2017

NZ$’000

46,594

‑

(976)

44,293

45,618

2018

NZ$’000

2017

NZ$’000

(976)

179

(15)

(812)

(110)

122

(988)

(976)

Intangible assets are measured on initial recognition at cost. The cost of intangible assets acquired in a business 
combination is their fair value at the date of acquisition. Following initial recognition, intangible assets are carried 
at cost less any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses. 

Intangible assets with finite lives are amortised over their useful economic life. The amortisation period and the 
amortisation method for an intangible asset with a finite life are reviewed at least at the end of each reporting 
period. The amortisation expense on intangible assets with finite lives is recognised in the statement of 
comprehensive income in the expense category that is consistent with the function of the intangible assets.

Development costs and internally generated software 

Costs associated with maintaining computer software programmes are recognised as an expense within the 
statement of comprehensive income as incurred. Development costs that are directly attributable to the design 
and testing of identifiable and unique software products controlled by Vista Group are recognised as intangible 
assets only when all of the following criteria are met:

•  it is technically feasible to complete the software product so that it will be available for use;

•  management intends to complete the software product and use or sell it;

•  there is an ability to use or sell the software product;

•  it can be demonstrated how the software product will generate probable future economic benefits;

•  adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell the software 

product are available; and

•  the expenditure attributable to the software product during its development can be reliably measured.

Other development expenditures that do not meet this criteria are recognised as expenses as incurred within 
operating expenses. Development costs previously recognised as an expense are not recognised as an asset 
in a subsequent period.

34
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Other intangible assets 

Intellectual property has been acquired through business combinations and amounts spent subsequently. Customer 
relationships include the purchase of existing customer bases via an existing license agreement or business 
combination. Software licenses include the purchase of third‑party software in the normal course of business. 

Intangible assets are amortised on a straight‑line basis over the following useful economic lives:

•  Intellectual property: 

•  Customer relationships:  

•  Software licenses:  

4 to 15 years

4 to 15 years

2.5 to 15 years

•  Internally generated software: 

3 to 5 years based on their estimated useful life

Refer to section 5.3 and 5.4 for goodwill measurement and impairment testing.

2018

Gross carrying amount
Balance at 1 January
Internally generated software
Additions
Disposals
Exchange differences

INTERNALLY 
GENERATED 
SOFTWARE

SOFTWARE 
LICENSES

INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY

CUSTOMER 
RELATIONSHIPS

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

9,762

7,888

‑

‑

79

2,645

2,136

7,808

‑

‑

‑

(19)

‑

26

‑

19

‑

‑

(3,076)

134

TOTAL

NZ$’000

22,351

7,888

26

(3,076)

213

Balance at year end

17,729

2,626

2,181

4,866

27,402

Accumulated amortisation
Balance at 1 January
Amortisation
Disposals
Exchange differences

(626)

(1,261)

‑

1

(1,068)

(182)

‑

11

(725)

(257)

‑

(14)

(3,871)

(780)

1,766

45

(6,290)

(2,480)

1,766

43

Balance at year end

(1,886)

(1,239)

(996)

(2,840)

(6,961)

Carrying amount at 31 December 2018

15,843

1,387

1,185

2,026

20,441

2017

Gross carrying amount
Balance at 1 January
Acquisition through business 
combinations
Internally generated software
Additions
Exchange differences

INTERNALLY 
GENERATED 
SOFTWARE

SOFTWARE 
LICENSES

INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY

CUSTOMER 
RELATIONSHIPS

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

TOTAL

NZ$’000

4,814

2,362

1,940

7,275

16,391

‑

4,937

‑

11

52

‑

52

179

‑

‑

16

180

‑

‑

‑

533

52

4,937

68

903

Balance at year end

9,762

2,645

2,136

7,808

22,351

Accumulated amortisation
Balance at 1 January
Current year amortisation
Exchange differences

(96)

(529)

(1)

(816)

(212)

(40)

Balance at year end

(626)

(1,068)

Carrying amount at 31 December 2017

9,136

1,577

(449)

(340)

64

(725)

1,411

(2,241)

(1,268)

(362)

(3,602)

(2,349)

(339)

(3,871)

(6,290)

3,937

16,061

35
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

On 23 March 2018, Vista Group announced the termination of the French market distribution agreement with Cote 
Cine Group (CCG). This resulted in the disposal of the customer relationship previously recognised. A settlement 
payment of $1.4m was received. A net gain on disposal of $29,000 was recognised within administrative expenses.

5.3  GOODWILL 

The amount of goodwill initially recognised is dependent on the allocation of the purchase price to the fair value 
of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. The determination of the fair value of the assets and 
liabilities, particularly intangible assets is based, to a considerable extent, on management’s judgement.

Gross carrying amount
Balance at 1 January
Acquisition through business combinations
Exchange differences

Balance at year end

Accumulated impairment
Balance 1 January

Balance at year end

Goodwill has been allocated to the following Cash Generating Units (CGU):

Vista Entertainment Solutions Limited (VESL)
Virtual Concepts Limited (VCL) – (Movio)

Maccs International BV (Maccs)
Share Dimension BV (Cinema Intelligence)
Powster Limited (Powster)
Flicks.co.nz Limited (Flicks)

2018

NZ$’000

66,398

‑

1,103

67,501

2017

NZ$’000

53,839

10,325

2,234

66,398

(3,554)

(3,554)

(3,554)

(3,554)

63,947

62,844

2018

NZ$’000

24,414

16,970

12,564

1,972

7,423

604

2017

NZ$’000

23,384

16,970

12,459

1,959

7,468

604

Goodwill at year end

63,947

62,844

This is the lowest level at which goodwill is monitored for internal management reporting purposes. Value in 
use calculations are used in determining the recoverable amount of each CGU. Management has projected the 
cash flows for each CGU over a five‑year period based on approved budgets for the first year. Determination of 
appropriate post‑tax cash flows, terminal growth rates and discount rates for the calculation of value in use is 
subjective and requires a number of assumptions and estimates to be made, including growth in revenue and net 
profit, timing and quantum of future capital expenditure, working capital, long term growth rates and the selection 
of discount rates to reflect the risks involved.

5.4  IMPAIRMENT TESTING

Impairment testing of goodwill and other assets

Goodwill is not amortised and is tested for impairment annually irrespective of whether there is any indication of 
impairment. If any such indication exists, then the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. After initial recognition, 
goodwill is measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.

Other assets are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying 
amount may not be recoverable. 

An impairment loss is recognised if the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable amount. Impairment 
losses are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income. 

36
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The recoverable amount of an asset is the greater of its value in use and its fair value less cost to sell. For the 
purposes of assessing impairment, assets are grouped at the lowest levels for which there are separately identifiable 
cash inflows which are largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets (cash‑generating 
units or “CGU”). The allocation is made to those CGUs that are expected to benefit from the business combination 
in which goodwill arose. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present 
value using a pre‑tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the 
risks specific to the asset.

Value in use is determined by discounting the future cash flows generated by each CGU. Cash flows were projected 
based on a five‑year strategic business plan as approved by the Board. The discount rate applied to future cash 
flows for each CGU is detailed in the table below. 

Critical judgements used in applying accounting policies and estimation uncertainty

The Board has carried out an annual impairment review of goodwill allocated to the CGUs in order to ensure that 
recoverable amounts exceed aggregate carrying amounts. Value in use was determined by discounting the future 
cash flows generated by each CGU. Cash flows were projected based on a 5 year business model for each CGU. 
See below for key assumptions and sensitivity analysis. Information about estimates and judgements that have 
the most significant effect on recognition and measurement of goodwill and intangible assets are provided below. 
Actual results may be substantially different. 

The Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) is based upon CAPM methodology using market specific inputs. 
The WACC for each CGU is reviewed annually. 

The key assumptions used for the value in use calculation are as follows:

CGU

VESL
Movio
Flicks

Maccs
Powster
Cinema Intelligence

2018 
REVENUE GROWTH 
2019 – 2023

WACC 2018

2017 
REVENUE GROWTH 
2018 – 2022

WACC 2017

6 – 13%

19 – 30%

9 – 39%

11 – 26%

7 – 26%

20 – 45%

9.7%

9.7%

9.7%

11.5%

12.0%

12.6%

4 – 13%

18 – 27%

7 – 72%

10 – 27%

7 – 67%

25 – 68%

9.0%

9.0%

9.0%

11.5%

12.0%

12.6%

The terminal revenue growth rate for all CGUs is calculated based on the 2023 year and assumes continuous growth 
of a minimum of projected inflation estimates of 2.5% (2017: 2.5%). The values assigned to the key assumptions 
represent management’s assessment of future trends and are based on both external and internal sources.

Other factors considered when testing goodwill for impairment include:

•  actual financial performance against budgeted financial performance;

•  any material unfavourable operational and regulatory factors; and

•  any material unfavourable economic outlook and market competition.

Impairment testing results

The calculations confirmed that there was no impairment of goodwill during the year (2017: $Nil). The Board believes 
that any reasonable possible change in the key assumptions used in the calculations for all CGUs, with the exception 
of Maccs and Cinema Intelligence, would not cause the carrying amount to exceed the recoverable amount. 

The Maccs CGU impairment test is sensitive to WACC discount rate, revenue growth and terminal growth rate. 
Detailed below is the amount by which each assumption would have to change to result in the recoverable amount 
being equal to the carrying value. The relevant sensitivities in key assumptions are as follows:

•  WACC discount rate: 

1.7% increase

•  Revenue growth:    

•  Terminal growth:   

0.7% reduction

2.3% reduction

The Cinema Intelligence CGU demonstrates sensitivity to revenue assumptions. Assumptions used for the purpose 
of assessing the value in use are premised upon the penetration of Cinema Intelligence software across Vista 
Cinema sites over the next five years. Should the long‑term penetration rate be lower than assumed, such that 

37
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

38
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

average revenue growth over the 5-year period reduced by 4%, this would result in its value in use amount being equal to its carrying value. 5.5 PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT Property, plant and equipmentItems of property, plant and equipment are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Cost includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset. The cost of replacing part of an item of property, plant and equipment is recognised in the carrying amount of the item if it is probable that the future economic benefits embodied within the asset will flow to Vista Group and its cost can be measured reliably. The costs of the day-to-day servicing of property, plant and equipment are recognised within the statement of comprehensive income as incurred.Depreciation is provided on fixtures, fittings and computers. Depreciation is recognised in the statement of comprehensive income to write off the cost of an item of property, plant and equipment, less any residual value, over its expected useful life on the following basis:• Fixtures and fittings:  6 to 14 years straight line• Computer equipment: 2.5 to 6 years straight line2018FIXTURES & FITTINGSCOMPUTER EQUIPMENTTOTALNZ$’000NZ$’000NZ$’000    Gross carrying amount   Balance at 1 January 4,5903,5158,105Additions1,1781,3102,488Exchange differences454489    Balance at year end5,8134,86910,682       Accumulated depreciation   Balance at 1 January (1,399)(2,069)(3,468)Current year depreciation(592)(1,084)(1,676)Exchange differences(86)(94)(180)    Balance at year end(2,077)(3,247)(5,324)    Carrying amount at 31 December 20183,7361,6225,358    2017FIXTURES & FITTINGSCOMPUTER EQUIPMENTTOTALNZ$’000NZ$’000NZ$’000    Gross carrying amountBalance at 1 January 4,2003,6657,865Assets no longer in use(219)(1,432)(1,651)Acquisition through business combinations -5757Additions4291,2001,629Exchange differences18025205    Balance at year end4,5903,5158,105       Accumulated depreciationBalance at 1 January (1,255)(2,448)(3,703)Assets no longer in use3721,2881,660Current year depreciation(443)(836)(1,279)Exchange differences(73)(73)(146)    Balance at year end(1,399)(2,069)(3,468)    Carrying amount at 31 December 20173,1911,4464,637    NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

5.6  TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

Trade payables
Sundry accruals
Deferred lease incentives
Employee benefits
Employee benefits – VCL contingent consideration

2018

NZ$’000

5,824

6,265

353

6,160

‑

2017

NZ$’000

4,413

3,988

419

4,709

1,240

Total trade and other payables 

18,602

14,769

Included in trade payables is a balance of $4.8m (2017: $3.2m) payable to the associate company Vista China. 
See section 3.1 for detail.

5.7  EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PAYABLES AND ACCRUALS

Short term employee benefits

Accruals for wages, salaries, including non‑monetary benefits, commissions and annual leave expected to be settled 
within 12 months of the reporting date are recognised in respect of employees’ services up to the reporting date. 
They are measured at the amounts expected to be paid using the remuneration rate expected to apply at the time 
of settlement, on an undiscounted basis. Expenses for non‑accumulating sick leave are recognised when the leave 
is taken and are measured at the rates paid or payable. 

Vista Group has pension obligations in respect of various defined contribution plans. Vista Group pays contributions 
to publicly or privately administered pension insurance plans on a mandatory or contractual basis. Vista Group has no 
further payment obligations once the contributions have been paid. The contributions are recognised as an employee 
entitlement expense when they are due.

Employee expenses included in total expenses:

Wages and salaries
Share‑based payment expense
Defined contribution plans

Total employee benefits

5.8  RELATED PARTIES

2018

NZ$’000

62,999

2,417

4,028

2017

NZ$’000

52,190

752

2,987

69,444

55,929

Vista Group has various types of transactions with related parties. Refer to section 3.1 and 3.2 for details of 
transactions with associate companies, Vista China and Numero. Refer to section 4.2 for details of related party 
borrowings. Other related party transactions include transactions with key management personnel which are 
detailed below:

Key management personnel transactions

Key management personnel include Vista Group’s Board of Directors (executive and non‑executive) and senior 
management. Senior management is defined as personnel that report directly to the Vista Group’s Chief Executive. 
Key management personnel include 16 individuals (6 Directors and 10 Senior management) (2017: 14 being 
6 Directors and 8 Senior management).

39
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The compensation paid to key management personnel includes the following amounts:

Salaries including bonuses
Share‑based payments
Dividends
Directors’ fees

Total

2018

NZ$’000

3,835

721

516

260

5,332

RESTATED  

2017

NZ$’000

3,351

131

639

233

4,354

6. CAPITAL STRUCTURE

This section outlines Vista Group’s capital structure and details of share‑based employee incentives which have 
an impact on Vista Group’s equity.

Equity, reserves and dividend payments

Share capital represents the value of shares that have been issued. Incremental costs directly attributable to the 
issue of ordinary shares are recognised as a deduction from equity. Retained earnings include all current and prior 
period retained profits and losses. Dividend distributions payable to equity shareholders are included in trade and 
other payables when the dividends have been approved by the Board on or before the end of the reporting period 
but not yet distributed. All transactions with owners of the parent are recorded separately within equity.

All shares are ordinary authorised, issued and fully paid shares. They all have equal voting rights and share equally 
in dividends and any surplus on winding up. The shares have no par value. 

6.1  CONTRIBUTED EQUITY

During the 2018 financial year, 778,960 shares were issued (2017: 437,770). A total of 440,524 (2017: 144,901) 
shares were issued for no consideration in respect to the final tranche of share‑based payments related to VCL 
contingent consideration (refer to section 7.4). A total of 338,436 shares were issued in respect to employee 
incentives for no consideration (2017: 101,971). 

Shares issued and fully paid:
Beginning of the year

Ordinary shares issued during the year:
Powster contingent consideration
VCL contingent consideration
Employee incentives
Non‑controlling interest change
Vista Latin America acquisition

2018

2017

2018

2017

NO. OF SHARES

NO. OF SHARES

000’S

000’S

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

164,756

81,940

57,821

55,654

‑

441

338

‑

‑

75

145

102

‑

116

‑

524

841

192

‑

423

811

249

‑

684

Total shares prior to share split

165,535

82,378

59,378

57,821

Impact of two for one share split completed 
November 2017

‑

82,378

‑

‑

Total shares authorised at 31 December

165,535

164,756

59,378

57,821

40
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

6.2  EARNINGS PER SHARE AND DIVIDENDS

Earnings per share

Vista Group presents basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS) data for its ordinary shares. Basic EPS is 
calculated by dividing the profit or loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Parent by the weighted 
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year.

Diluted EPS reflects any commitments Vista Group has to issue shares in the future that would decrease EPS. 
In 2018, these are in the form of share‑based payments and performance rights. To calculate the impact, it is 
assumed that share‑based payments related to FY2018 earning targets are achieved and all the performance 
rights are taken, therefore adjusting the weighted average number of shares.

The following reflects the income and share data used in the basic and diluted EPS computations:

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Parent for basic earnings
Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Parent adjusted for the effect 
of dilution
Weighted average number of shares in basic earnings per share
Shares deemed to be issued for no consideration in respect of share‑based payments
Weighted average number of shares used in diluted earnings per share

EPS
Diluted EPS

6.3  DIVIDENDS

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

12,258

9,676

12,258

165,305

1,772

167,077

9,676

164,448

1,082

165,530

$0.07 

$0.07 

$0.06 

$0.06

Vista Group paid two dividends during 2018. In March 2018, Vista Group paid a final dividend of 1.7 cents per share 
(2017: 4.61) related to FY2017. In September 2018, Vista Group paid an interim dividend of 1.6 cents per share (2017: 
2.4). Note that the dividend amounts per share quoted for 2017 were paid on the total shares on issue prior to the 
2 for 1 share split in November 2017.

NO. OF 
SHARES

2018

2017

000’S

CENTS PER 
SHARE

NZ$’000

CENTS PER 
SHARE

NZ$’000

Dividends:
2018 Interim dividend – paid 27 September 2018
2017 Final dividend – paid 23 March 2018
2017 Interim dividend – paid 22 September 2017
2016 Interim and final dividend – paid 24 March 2017

165,536

164,757

82,378

81,940

1.60

1.74

2,649

2,861

2.40

4.61

1,977

3,777

6.4  SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

Estimates related to share-based payments

Vista Group operates a number of equity settled, share‑based payment schemes, under which it receives services 
from employees as consideration for equity instruments of Vista Group. An independent valuation has been 
completed for each share‑based payment scheme to estimate the fair value of the performance rights allocated. 
Management also make estimates annually about the number of performance rights expected to vest under each 
share‑based payment scheme.

Equity settled long-term incentive scheme – Total Shareholder Return

During 2017, the Board approved the third annual issue of an equity settled Long‑Term Incentive (LTI) scheme 
implemented in 2015 for selected key management personnel (Participants). The plan is intended to focus 
performance on achievement of key long‑term performance metrics. 

41
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The allocation of performance rights is based on a percentage of annual base salary, adjusted by a risk factor 
calculated using the Monte Carlo valuation model. Performance rights are granted under the plan for no 
consideration and carry no dividend or voting rights. Participation in the LTI scheme is at the Board’s discretion 
and participants in the LTI scheme are not guaranteed participation from year to year.

The amount of performance rights that will vest depends on Vista Group’s relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR) 
to shareholders. Vesting of performance rights is dependent upon Vista Group achieving relative TSR targets over 
a two and three‑year performance period, against all other NZX50 companies (excluding Vista Group), with 50% of 
the value of rights allocated under each target. Vesting of the performance rights is defined by the following table:

PERCENTILE PERFORMANCE AGAINST NZX50 COMPANIES

VESTING PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

Less than 50th percentile
50th – 75th percentile
Greater than 75th percentile

Zero
50% to 100% pro‑rata on a straight‑line basis
100%

TSR is measured by the change in TSR from the start date of the grant period until the end of the performance 
period (two years and three years). The LTI scheme allows the carry forward of any performance rights that do not 
vest in the first vesting period to be eligible to vest in the vesting period for the second tranche of performance 
rights. The scale at which carried over rights may vest at the end of the tranche two vesting period shall 
commence at the TSR percentile achieved in respect of the tranche one vesting period. 

The fair value of rights granted is recognised as an administration expense in the statement of comprehensive 
income with a corresponding increase in the employee share‑based payments reserve. The fair value is measured 
at grant date and amortised over the vesting periods. Vista Group has recognised $0.4m of employee expenses 
during the year ended 31 December 2018 (2017: $0.8m) related to the three active LTI schemes. 

The fair value of the rights granted is measured using Vista Group share price as at the grant date less the present 
value of the dividends forecast to be paid prior to each vesting date. When performance rights vest, the amount 
in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights is transferred to share capital. When any granted 
performance rights lapse upon participant termination, the amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating 
to those rights is transferred to retained earnings.

Below is a summary of performance rights granted at 31 December 2018 and 31 December 2017 under these schemes:

31 DECEMBER 2018

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTED 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS 

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS GRANTED 
AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

GRANT DATE

EXPIRY DATE

$000’S

000’S

TSR SCHEMES 2015–2017
1 January 2015
1 January 2016
1 January 2016
1 January 2017
1 January 2017

Total TSR Schemes

1 April 2018
1 April 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2020
1 April 2020

31 DECEMBER 2017

GRANT DATE

EXPIRY DATE

TSR SCHEMES 2015–2017
1 January 2015
1 January 2016
1 January 2016
1 January 2017
1 January 2017

Total TSR Schemes

1 April 2018
1 April 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2020
1 April 2020

‑

413

413

364

364

1,554

‑

232

232

209

209

882

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTED 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS 

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS GRANTED 
AT 31 DECEMBER 2017

$000’S

248

413

413

364

364

1,802

000’S

200

232

232

209

209

1,082

42
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Equity settled long-term incentive scheme – 2018 LTI Scheme

During 2018, the Board approved a new equity settled LTI scheme (the 2018 LTI Scheme) for selected key 
management personnel (participants). The 2018 LTI Scheme rewards performance rights to participants based 
upon the achievement of Revenue and EBITDA performance targets. The plan is intended to focus performance 
on achievement of key long‑term performance metrics. The 2018 LTI Scheme differs to the 2015 – 2017 LTI schemes 
which were based upon relative TSR achievement.

The allocation of performance rights is based on a percentage of annual base salary, adjusted by a risk factor 
calculated using the Monte Carlo valuation model. Performance rights are granted under the plan for no 
consideration and carry no dividend or voting rights. Participation in the 2018 LTI Scheme is at the Board’s 
discretion and participants in the 2018 LTI Scheme are not guaranteed participation from year to year.

The amount of performance rights to vest depends on Vista Group’s performance against specified revenue and 
EBITDA targets. The 2018 LTI Scheme identifies these targets over a three‑year performance period, with vesting 
split into 6 tranches, being one per year for each specified target, over the three‑year performance period. 

The fair value of rights granted is recognised as an administration expense in the statement of comprehensive 
income with a corresponding increase in the employee share‑based payments reserve. The fair value is measured 
at grant date and amortised over the vesting periods. For the 2018 LTI Scheme Vista Group has recognised $0.6m 
of employee expenses during the year ended 31 December 2018. 

When performance rights vest, the amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights are 
transferred to share capital. Should any granted performance rights lapse upon participant termination, the 
amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights is transferred to retained earnings.

Below is a summary of performance rights granted under this scheme:

2018 LTI SCHEME

GRANT DATE

EXPIRY DATE

1 January 2018
1 January 2018
1 January 2018

1 April 2020
1 April 2021
1 April 2022

Total 2018 LTI Scheme

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTED 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS 

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS GRANTED 
AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

$000’S

307

307

307

921

000’S

109

109

111

329

Equity settled incentive scheme – Group CEO Retention Scheme

During 2018, the Board approved a new equity settled retention scheme for the Vista Group CEO (the Vista Group 
CEO Retention Scheme). The Vista Group CEO Retention Scheme is intended to align the Vista Group CEO with 
shareholder interests and ensure continued retention. 

The share rights vest to the Group CEO on an annual basis dependent on continued tenure with no further 
performance requirements. Share rights are granted for no consideration and carry no dividend or voting rights 
until vested.

The value of the share rights is considered in the Board setting of appropriate remuneration levels for the Group 
CEO. The Vista Group CEO Retention Scheme vested 200,000 shares in April 2018 upon signing of the scheme 
documentation. A further three tranches will vest in April 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

The fair value of rights granted is recognised as an administration expense in the statement of comprehensive 
income with a corresponding increase in the employee share‑based payments reserve. The fair value is measured 
at grant date and amortised over the vesting periods. For the Group CEO Retention Scheme, Vista Group has 
recognised $1.2m of employee expenses during the year ended 31 December 2018. 

When share rights vest, the amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights is transferred 
to share capital. Should any granted performance rights lapse upon CEO termination, the amount in the share‑based 
payments reserve relating to those rights is transferred to retained earnings.

43
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Below is a summary of performance rights granted under this scheme:

GROUP CEO RETENTION SCHEME

GRANT DATE

EXPIRY DATE

30 April 2018
30 April 2018
30 April 2018

30 April 2019
30 April 2020
30 April 2021

Total Group CEO Retention Scheme

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTED 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS 

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS GRANTED 
AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

$000’S

446

441

582

1,469

000’S

150

150

200

500

Equity settled long-term incentive scheme – Operating Segment Revenue Scheme

During 2018, the Board approved an equity settled LTI scheme for selected key management personnel 
(participants) that is based upon the achievement of defined revenue targets (the Operating Segment Revenue 
LTI Scheme). The Operating Segment Revenue LTI Scheme is intended to focus performance on achievement of  
key long‑term performance metrics with particular focus on the achievement of individual operating segment 
revenue stretch objectives. 

The allocation of performance rights is based on set annual amounts of shares to vest as revenue milestones are 
achieved. Performance rights are granted under the plan for no consideration and carry no dividend or voting rights. 
Participation in the Operating Segment Revenue LTI Scheme is at the Board’s discretion. 

The amount of performance rights to vest depends on operating segment revenue performance against specified 
targets. Upon the achievement of stated annual revenue targets, performance rights are allocated with vesting split 
into 2 tranches. The first tranche (50%) to vest following a 12‑month deferral period following performance rights 
being issued and the second (50%) following an additional 12 months. In addition, there is a singular additional 
long‑term revenue hurdle set for the 2021 financial year. 

The fair value of rights granted is recognised as an administration expense in the statement of comprehensive 
income with a corresponding increase in the employee share‑based payments reserve. The fair value is measured 
at grant date and amortised over the vesting periods. For the Operating Segment Revenue LTI Scheme, Vista 
Group has recognised $0.2m of employee expenses during the year ended 31 December 2018. 

When performance rights vest, the amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights are 
transferred to share capital. Should any granted performance rights lapse upon participant termination, the 
amount in the share‑based payments reserve relating to those rights is transferred to retained earnings.

Below is a summary of performance rights granted under this scheme:

OPERATING SEGMENT REVENUE SCHEME

GRANT DATE

EXPIRY DATE

1 January 2018
1 January 2018
1 January 2018
1 January 2018

31 January 2020
31 January 2021
31 January 2022
31 January 2023

Total Operating Segment Revenue Scheme

TOTAL VALUE OF GRANTED 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS GRANTED 
AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

$000’S 

194

70

176

176

616

000’S

53

23

60

61

197

44
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Below is a summary of the performance rights granted, exercised and forfeited during 2018 for all of the schemes 
outlined above:

GRANT DATE

As at 1 January
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Forfeited during the year

As at 31 December

2018

2017

AVERAGE EXERCISE 
PRICE PER 
PERFORMANCE RIGHT

$1.68 

$2.94 

$2.27 

$1.22 

$2.40 

NUMBER OF 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

000’S

1,082

1,226

(338)

(63)

1,907

AVERAGE EXERCISE 
PRICE PER 
PERFORMANCE RIGHT

$1.56 

$1.70 

$1.22 

‑

$1.68 

NUMBER OF 
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

000’S

868

418

(204)

‑

1,082

Virtual Concepts Limited (VCL) incentive scheme

Certain employees of VCL receive remuneration in the form of share‑based payments contingent upon achieving 
certain annual milestones as part of the acquisition of VCL. The cost is recognised within administration expenses 
in the statement of comprehensive income, refer to section 7.4 for more details of the VCL incentive scheme. 

6.5  EXPENSES ARISING FROM SHARE-BASED PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS

The expense recognised for employee services received during the year is shown in the following table and 
is included within operating expenses:

Expenses arising from VCL acquisition
Equity settled LTI scheme
Stardust equity settled scheme

Total expense 

2018

NZ$’000

30

2,411

6

2017

NZ$’000

538

715

37

2,447

1,290

6.6  SHARE-BASED PAYMENT RESERVE

The share‑based payment reserve is used to record any equity share‑based incentives. The reserve value represents 
the difference between the value at the time of allocation and the cash received incentives plus the equity component 
of contingent consideration payable.

6.7  CAPITAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Vista Group’s capital management objective is to provide an adequate return to its shareholders. This is achieved 
by pricing products and services commensurately within the level of risk. 

Vista Group monitors capital requirements to ensure that it meets its lending covenant obligations and to maintain 
an efficient overall financing structure. At balance date, Vista Group maintains low levels of debt. 

The amounts managed as capital by Vista Group for the reporting periods under review are summarised as follows:

Consolidated shareholders’ funds
Consolidated assets
Capital ratio

2018

NZ$’000

159,396

221,086

72%

2017

NZ$’000

148,101

204,235

73%

45
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

7. BASIS OF PREPARATION/ACCOUNTING POLICIES

This section outlines the legislation and accounting standards which have been followed in the preparation of these 
financial statements along with explaining the how the information has been aggregated.

7.1  KEY LEGISLATION AND ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

The financial statements of Vista Group have been prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting 
Practice in New Zealand (NZ GAAP). Vista Group is a for‑profit entity for the purposes of complying with NZ 
GAAP. The financial statements comply with New Zealand equivalents to International Financial Reporting 
Standards (NZ IFRS), other New Zealand financial reporting standards and authoritative notices that are applicable 
to entities that apply NZ IFRS. The financial statements also comply with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) and interpretations issued by the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRS IC) applicable to 
companies reporting under IFRS.

The financial statements have been prepared on the basis of historical cost except for contingent consideration 
which is measured at fair value.

7.2  BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION

Vista Group’s financial statements consolidate those of the Company and its subsidiaries as at 31 December 2018. 
A subsidiary is an entity over which Vista Group has control. Control is achieved when Vista Group is exposed, 
or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns 
through its power to direct the activities of the investee.

Consolidation of a subsidiary begins when Vista Group obtains control over the subsidiary and ceases when Vista 
Group loses control of the subsidiary. Income and expenses of a subsidiary acquired or disposed of during the year 
are included within the statement of comprehensive income from the date Vista Group gains control until the date 
Vista Group ceases to control the subsidiary. All subsidiaries have a reporting date of 31 December. In preparing 
the financial statements, all inter‑entity balances and transactions, and unrealised profits and losses, arising within 
the consolidated entity have been eliminated in full. A change in the ownership interest of a subsidiary without 
a loss of control is accounted for as an equity transaction.

Non‑controlling interests, presented as part of equity, represent the portion of a subsidiary’s profit or loss and net 
assets that is not held by Vista Group. Vista Group attributes total comprehensive income or loss of subsidiaries 
to the amounts of the Company and the non‑controlling interests based on their ownership interests.

Vista Group treats transactions with non‑controlling interests that do not result in a loss of control as transactions 
with equity owners of the group. A change in ownership interest results in an adjustment between the carrying 
amounts of the controlling and non‑controlling interests to reflect their relative interests in the subsidiary. 
Any difference between the amount of the adjustment to non‑controlling interests and any consideration paid 
or received is recognised in a separate reserve within equity attributable to the owners of the Company.

7.3  FOREIGN CURRENCY

Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the financial statements of each of Vista Group’s entities are measured using the currency of the 
primary economic environment in which the entity operates (the Functional Currency). The financial statements 
are presented in New Zealand Dollars (NZD), which is Vista Group’s presentation currency. All financial information 
has been presented rounded to the nearest thousand dollars ($000). 

Transactions and balances

Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the exchange rates prevailing at 
the dates of the transactions. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions 
and from the translation, at year‑end exchange rates, of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies, are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income.

Foreign Currency Translation Reserve (FCTR)

The FCTR is used to record exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of foreign 
subsidiaries for consolidation purposes.

46
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

7.4  BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

This section outlines how Vista Group has accounted for transactions to acquire new businesses and dispose 
of an existing subsidiary and how this has impacted the financial statements. 

Business combinations

The acquisition method of accounting is used to account for all business combinations, regardless of whether 
equity instruments or other assets are acquired. The consideration transferred for the acquisition of a subsidiary 
comprises cash and the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration arrangement. 

Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are, 
with limited exceptions, measured initially at their fair values at the acquisition date. Vista Group recognises 
any non‑controlling interest in the acquired entity on an acquisition‑by‑acquisition basis either at fair value 
or at the non‑controlling interest’s proportionate share of the acquired entity’s net identifiable assets. 

Acquisition‑related costs are expensed as incurred. 

The excess of the:

•  consideration transferred, 

•  amount of any non‑controlling interest in the acquired entity, and

•  acquisition‑date fair value of any previous equity interest in the acquired entity,

over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. If those amounts are less than 
the fair value of the net identifiable assets of the subsidiary acquired, the difference is recognised directly in the 
statement of comprehensive income as a bargain purchase. 

Where settlement of any part of cash consideration is deferred, the amounts payable in the future are discounted 
to their present value as at the date of exchange. The discount rate used is the entity’s incremental borrowing rate, 
being the rate at which a similar borrowing could be obtained from an independent financier under comparable 
terms and conditions. 

Contingent consideration is classified either as equity or a financial liability. Amounts classified as a financial liability 
are subsequently remeasured to fair value with changes recognised in the statement of comprehensive income. 

If the business combination is achieved in stages, the acquisition date carrying value of the acquirer’s previously 
held equity interest in the acquiree is remeasured to fair value at the acquisition date. Any gains or losses arising 
from such remeasurement are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income.

Contingent consideration

During the year Vista Group settled the following amounts in contingent consideration:

Powster Limited (Powster)
Ticketsoft
Flicks.co.nz (Flicks)

Total contingent consideration

VISTA LATIN AMERICA

2018

CASH

NZ$’000

SHARES

NZ$’000

2017

CASH

NZ$’000

‑

‑

‑

-

‑

‑

‑

-

1,955

729

140

2,824

SHARES

NZ$’000

423

‑

‑

423

In August 2017, Vista Group completed the acquisition of a controlling stake of 60% of the equity in its long‑term 
Latin American business partner Vista Latin America. The purchase agreement included contingent consideration. 
Contingent consideration is payable in cash within 10 days of the finalisation of the FY2018 accounts for Vista 
Latin America, expected to be in March 2019. Contingent consideration is calculated based on achievement of 
EBITDA performance over the FY2017 and FY2018 financial periods against specified performance targets. For the 
purpose of quantifying the amount payable, an estimate was developed based on the expected performance of 
the Vista Latin America business for the financial period specified. The assumptions used were validated by senior 
management. At the acquisition date, the fair value of the contingent consideration was estimated to be $0.9m. 

47
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

At 31 December 2018, an assessment was made of the actual performance against the targets specified for 
the contingent consideration to vest. The outcome of this assessment was that there would be no contingent 
consideration paid to the former owners of Vista Latin America as the specified EBITDA targets were not achieved. 
The contingent consideration recognised within the original business combination of $0.9m was therefore released 
via the statement of comprehensive income within acquisition expenses. 

VIRTUAL CONCEPTS LIMITED

The acquisition of the remaining 43% of Virtual Concepts Limited (VCL) (trading as Movio) in August 2014 included 
contingent consideration that was payable to the former owners in the form of cash and shares. Contingent 
consideration was payable in three tranches on 1 April 2016, 1 April 2017 and 1 April 2018. During the year the final 
tranche was settled, amounting to $1.2m in cash and $0.5m in shares. At the reporting date, the fair value of the 
remaining contingent consideration is nil (2017: $1.7m)

The table summarises the changes in estimates in the contingent consideration for VCL:

CONTINGENT CONSIDERATION AT 31 DECEMBER 

2018

NZ$’000

2017

NZ$’000

Amounts paid
Cash (current)
Shares – Vista Group

Estimated liability
Cash (current)
Cash (non‑current)
Shares – Vista Group

Total estimated liability

1,240

524

1,764

‑

‑

‑

-

348

811

1,159

1,240

‑

524

1,764

7.5  GROUP COMPANIES

The results and financial position of all Vista Group entities (none of which has the currency of a hyper‑inflationary 
economy) that have a functional currency different from the presentation currency are translated into the 
presentation currency as follows;

(a)   assets and liabilities for each statement of financial position presented are translated at the closing rate at the 

date of that statement of financial position;

(b)   income and expenses for each income statement and statement of other comprehensive income, are translated 

at average exchange rates (unless this average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of 
the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case income and expenses are translated at the rate on 
the dates of the transactions);

(c)   all resulting exchange differences are recognised in other comprehensive income; and

(d)   goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign entity are treated as assets and 

liabilities of the foreign entity and translated at the closing rate. Exchange differences arising are recognised 
in other comprehensive income.

Foreign exchange gains and losses that relate to borrowings are presented in the statement of comprehensive 
income, within finance costs. All other foreign exchange gains and losses are presented in the statement of 
comprehensive income on a net basis within other expenses.

48
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Group information

The financial statements include the following subsidiaries:

NAME

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY

Vista Entertainment Solutions Limited

Software development 
and licensing

COUNTRY OF 
INCORPORATION

SHARE- 
HOLDING 
2018

SHARE- 
HOLDING 
2017

New Zealand

100%

100%

Virtual Concepts Limited

Holding company

New Zealand

100%

100%

Movio Limited 

Movio, Inc.

Maccs International B.V.

Maccs US

VPF Hub GmbH

Provision of online loyalty, 
data analytics and marketing

New Zealand

100%

100%

Provision of online loyalty, 
data analytics and marketing

USA

100%

100%

Software development 
and licensing

Netherlands

50.1%

50.1%

Software licensing

USA

50.1%

50.1%

Software licensing

Germany

45.1%

45.1%

Vista Entertainment Solutions (UK) Limited

Software licensing

United Kingdom 100%

100%

Vista Entertainment Solutions (USA), Inc

Software licensing

USA

100%

100%

Vista Entertainment Solutions (Canada) Limited Non‑active

Canada

100%

100%

Vista Group Limited

Non‑active

New Zealand

100%

100%

Senda Dirección Tecnológica S.A. de C.V.

Software licensing

Senda DO Brasil Serviços de Tecnologia LTDA

Software licensing

Book My Show Limited

Book My Show (NZ) Limited

Share Dimension B.V.

Inactive

Inactive

Software development 
and licensing

Mexico

Brazil

New Zealand

New Zealand

60%

60%

74%

74%

0%

0%

74%

74%

Netherlands

50%

50%

S.C. Share Dimension S.R.L.

Software development

Romania

50%

50%

Flicks Limited

Powster Limited 

Powster, Inc.

Stardust Solutions Limited

Advertising sales

New Zealand

100%

100%

Marketing and creative 
solutions

Marketing and creative 
solutions

Application development 
and licensing

United Kingdom 50%

50%

USA

50%

0%

New Zealand

58.9% 74.9%

Stardust Entertainment, Inc.

Application licensing 

USA

58.9% 74.9%

MovieXchange International Limited

Web platform development 
and licensing

New Zealand

100%

100%

MovieXchange Limited

Web platform licensing

New Zealand

100%

100%

Vista Entertainment Solutions (Spain), S.L.

Software licensing

Spain

100%

0%

Vista International Entertainment Solutions  
South Africa (PTY) Limited

Software licensing

South Africa

100%

100%

49
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

7.6  INVESTMENT IN ASSOCIATE

Associates are those entities over which Vista Group is able to exert significant influence but which are not 
subsidiaries or jointly controlled entities. Vista Group’s investment in an associate is accounted for using the equity 
method. Under the equity method, the investment in an associate is initially recognised at cost. In the event of loss 
of control of a subsidiary, resulting in an associate company, this is recognised initially at fair value. The carrying 
amount of the investment in an associate is increased or decreased to recognise Vista Group’s share of the profit 
or loss and other comprehensive income of the associate after the acquisition date. Dividends received or receivable 
from associates and joint ventures are recognised as a reduction in the carrying amount of the investment.

When Vista Group’s share of losses in an equity‑accounted investment equals or exceeds its interest in the entity, 
including any other unsecured long‑term receivables, Vista Group does not recognise further losses, unless it has 
incurred obligations or made payments on behalf of the other entity. Unrealised gains on transactions between 
Vista Group and its associates are eliminated to the extent of Vista Group’s interest in these entities. Unrealised 
losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred. 
The carrying amount of equity‑accounted investments are tested for impairment in accordance with the policy 
described in section 5.4. 

The financial statements of the associate are prepared for the same reporting period as Vista Group. 
When necessary, adjustments are made to bring the accounting policies in line with those of Vista Group. 

7.7  ADOPTION OF NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

New accounting standards adopted by Vista Group: 

A number of new or amended standards become applicable for the current reporting period and Vista Group 
has had to change its accounting policies as a result of adopting the following standards:

•  NZ IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

•  NZ IFRS 9 Financial Instruments

The impact of the adoption of these new standards is disclosed below.

NZ IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers – impact of adoption

Vista Group adopted NZ IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers from 1 January 2018, which resulted 
in changes in accounting policies relating to the recognition of revenue. 

Following a detailed review of Vista Group’s portfolio of contracts, management concluded that the implementation 
of NZ IFRS 15 has no material impact on the way in which Vista Group recognises revenue. Therefore, there is no 
requirement to restate revenue reported in prior periods. The details of the review process are outlined below. 
Accounting policies have been amended to ensure that the five‑step method, as defined in NZ IFRS 15, is applied 
consistently to revenue recognition processes across Vista Group.

Process and policy

To assess the impact of NZ IFRS 15 on Vista Group, contracts within each segment were aggregated to create 
portfolios of contracts. An individual contract from each portfolio was selected as being representative of 
each unique contract type. For each contract type, the five‑step method was applied to assess the impact 
on revenue recognition. 

The five‑step method for recognising revenue from contracts with customers involves consideration of the following:

1. 

Identifying the contract with the customer;

2. 

Identifying performance obligations;

3.  Determining the transaction price;

4.  Allocating the transaction price to distinct performance obligations; and

5.  Recognising revenue.

50
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The tables below provide further information on the application of NZ IFRS 15 across the major segments in Vista 
Group. The segments detailed below represent 92% of Vista Group’s revenue for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Vista Cinema Segment

REVENUE TYPE

DESCRIPTION

KEY JUDGEMENTS

OUTCOME

Product – 
Cinema

Perpetual ERP software 
license targeted at larger 
cinema circuits. 

Determining the distinct 
performance obligations 
and whether items are 
required to be bundled 
to form a distinct 
performance obligation. 

Providing a software 
license is a distinct 
performance obligation 
and is not required to 
be bundled with other 
performance obligations.

Product – 
Veezi

Subscription‑based 
software targeted at 
small and independent 
theatres. Revenue 
includes a fixed monthly 
fee plus a variable 
component based on the 
number of tickets sold.

Determining whether 
a sales‑based license 
of intellectual property 
exists. Determining 
whether there is a 
sales‑based variable 
component. 

The subscription to 
Veezi is a sales‑based 
license of intellectual 
property. There is a 
sales‑based variable 
component.

Maintenance – 
Cinema

Basic support and 
any enhancements 
or upgrades to the 
software. 

N/A

No major judgement 
required, other than 
confirming the scope 
and period of the 
maintenance contract. 

Services & 
Development

Value‑add services, 
implementation 
services and bespoke 
development of the 
software.

Determining whether the 
services & development 
provided are a distinct 
performance obligation.

The services & 
development are a 
distinct performance 
obligation as they are 
not highly dependent 
or interrelated to other 
performance obligations 
in the contract.

TIMING OF REVENUE 
RECOGNITION

Point in time
Recognised at the 
point in time when the 
software goes live, which 
is when the customer 
is able to benefit from 
using the software.

Point in time
Recognised at the end 
of each month once the 
sales‑based variable 
usage is known.

Over time
Benefits are 
simultaneously received 
and consumed; revenue 
is recognised over the 
maintenance term.

Over time
Recognised when the 
service is complete 
or on a stage of 
completion basis.

Movio Segment

REVENUE TYPE

DESCRIPTION

KEY JUDGEMENTS

OUTCOME

TIMING OF REVENUE 
RECOGNITION 

Product – 
Cinema 

Movio Cinema cloud‑
hosted data, marketing 
and analytics platform. 
Customers are charged 
an annual access fee to 
platform plus a variable 
component (see below).

Variable revenue based 
on the number of active 
members managed 
and the number of 
promotional messages 
sent during a given 
period.

Determining whether 
the platform access is 
a distinct performance 
obligation.

Access to the platform 
is a distinct performance 
obligation and is not 
required to be bundled 
with other performance 
obligations.

Over time
Platform access 
is recognised over 
time as benefits are 
simultaneously received 
and consumed.

Determining if a 
usage‑based license 
of intellectual 
property exists.

The variable revenue  
is a usage‑based license 
of intellectual property.

Point in time
Variable license revenue 
is recognised at the end 
of each month once 
usage‑based quantities 
are known.

51
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

REVENUE TYPE

DESCRIPTION

KEY JUDGEMENTS

OUTCOME

TIMING OF REVENUE 
RECOGNITION 

Product – 
Media 

Movio Media cloud‑
hosted data, marketing 
and analytics platform.

Determining whether 
the platform access is 
a distinct performance 
obligation.

Access to the platform 
is a distinct performance 
obligation and is not 
required to be bundled 
with other performance 
obligations.

Over time
Platform access 
is recognised over 
time as benefits are 
simultaneously received 
and consumed.

Targeted marketing 
campaigns, digital 
advertising and reports.

No major judgement 
required. 

N/A

Services 

Value‑add services, data 
scientist services and 
setup & configuration.

Determining whether the 
services provided are 
a distinct performance 
obligation.

The services are 
distinct performance 
obligations as they are 
not highly dependent 
or interrelated to other 
performance obligations 
in the contract.

Additional Group Companies Segment

REVENUE TYPE

DESCRIPTION

KEY JUDGEMENTS

OUTCOME 

Product – 
Showtimes 
Platform

Website and marketing 
platform for feature 
films, incorporating 
Showtimes data.

Determining the distinct 
performance obligations 
and the requirements 
to bundle performance 
obligations.

Two distinct 
performance obligations 
exist; Platform creation 
and incorporating 
Showtimes data. 

Product – 
Maccs

Perpetual theatrical 
distribution software  
for film distributors.

Determining the distinct 
performance obligations 
and whether they are 
required to be bundled 
as one performance 
obligation.

Provision of the software 
license is a distinct 
performance obligation 
but is required to 
be bundled with 
development where the 
license is dependent on 
the Development.

Maintenance – 
Maccs

Basic support and 
any enhancements 
or upgrades of the 
software. 

N/A

No major judgement 
required, other than 
confirming the scope 
and period of the 
maintenance contract.

Services & 
Development

Value‑add services, 
implementation 
services and bespoke 
development of the 
software.

Determining the distinct 
performance obligation 
and whether the 
development is required 
to be bundled to form 
a distinct performance 
obligation.

Where the services & 
development are highly 
interrelated to a license, 
they are bundled with 
the license as a single 
performance obligation. 
Otherwise, the services 
& development are a 
distinct performance 
obligation. 

Point in time
Revenue is recognised 
when the campaigns and 
reports are completed.

Over time
Recognised when the 
service is complete or 
on a stage of completion 
basis.

TIMING OF REVENUE 
RECOGNITION

Point in time
Recognised at a point in 
time when the Platform 
is live and subsequently 
when the Showtimes 
data is incorporated.

Point in time
Recognised at a point in 
time when the territory 
is live on the software, 
and the customer is  
able to benefit from  
the software license.

Over time
Benefits are 
simultaneously received 
and consumed; revenue 
recognised over the 
maintenance term.

Over time
Recognised when the 
services & development 
are complete or on  
a stage of completion 
basis.

52
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

In terms of impact to the presentation of the financial statements, NZ IFRS 15 requires the disaggregation of 
revenue to provide clear and meaningful information. For Vista Group, management concluded that presentation of 
revenue in terms of the method of revenue recognition was most appropriate. Therefore, revenue is disaggregated 
in the operating segments section (refer to section 2.2) as amounts recognised at a point in time and over time. 

Critical judgements used in applying accounting policies and estimation uncertainty

Vista China Localisation

As disclosed in section 3.1, during FY2016 Vista Group entered into a reseller agreement with Vista China which 
included a number of performance obligations to localise software products made by Vista Group. Management 
has applied judgement and estimation in determining the stage of completion for each software product being 
localised for the China market and the associated revenue for each obligation. 

NZ IFRS 9 Financial Instruments – impact of adoption

NZ IFRS 9 Financial Instruments as it relates to Vista Group replaces the provisions of NZ IAS 39 that relate to the 
recognition, classification, measurement and impairment of financial assets. The adoption of NZ IFRS 9 Financial 
Instruments from 1 January 2018 resulted in changes in accounting policies and adjustments to the amounts 
recognised in the financial statements. The new accounting policies are set out in the sections below along 
with the impact to the financial statements.

Vista Group has applied NZ IFRS 9 retrospectively but has elected not to restate comparative information. 
As a result, the comparative information provided continues to be accounted for in accordance with Vista Group’s 
previous accounting policies.

Classification and measurement

NZ IFRS 9 impacts the following classifications of financial assets:

•  Cash;

•  Trade receivables;

•  Loan and receivables to the associate company Numero; and

•  Sundry receivables.

From 1 January 2018, Vista Group classifies its financial assets as being measured at amortised cost. Until December 
2017, Vista Group classified its financial assets as loans and receivables. There was no change in the fair value of the 
financial assets as a result of the reclassification. 

At initial recognition, Vista Group measures a financial asset at its fair value plus transactions costs that are directly 
attributable to the acquisition of the financial asset. 

Impairment

From 1 January 2018, Vista Group assesses on a forward‑looking basis, the expected credit losses associated with 
its financial assets carried at amortised cost. The impairment methodology applied depends on whether there has 
been a significant increase in credit risk. 

In assessing whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk, Vista Group considers the forward looking 
and previous financial history of counterparts to assess the probability of default or likelihood that full settlement 
is not received.

For trade receivables, Vista Group applies the simplified approach permitted by NZ IFRS 9, which requires 
expected lifetime losses to be recognised from initial recognition of the receivables. 

Trade receivables are written off when there is no reasonable expectation of recovery. Indicators that there is no 
reasonable expectation of recovery include, amongst others, the failure of a debtor to engage in a repayment plan 
with Vista Group, and a failure to make contractual payments for a period of greater than 180 days past due.

The loss allowances for financial assets are based on assumptions about risk of default and expected loss rates. 
Vista Group uses judgement in making these assumptions and selecting the inputs to impairment calculation, 
based on Vista Group’s past history, existing market conditions as well as forward looking estimates at the end 
of each reporting period. Details of key assumptions and judgements are included in each section below.

53
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUEDNOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Cash

While cash is subject to the impairment requirements of NZ IFRS 9, the identified impairment loss was immaterial. 

Trade receivables

Vista Group’s trade receivables are subject to NZ IFRS 9’s expected credit loss model. Vista Group has applied 
the NZ IFRS 9 simplified approach to measuring credit losses which uses a lifetime expected loss allowance for 
all trade receivables. To measure expected credit losses, trade receivables have been grouped and reviewed on  
the basis of the number of days past due. The expected credit loss has been calculated by considering the impact 
of the following characteristics:

•  The Baseline characteristic considers the age of each invoice and applies an increasing expected credit loss 

estimate as the trade receivable ages.

•  The Aging and Write off characteristics consider the history of write off related to the specific customer and the 
relative size of aged debt to current debt. If the trade receivable aged over 180 days makes up more than 45% 
of the total trade receivable for a specific customer, further provision for expected credit loss is added.

•  The Country, Customer and Market characteristics consider the relative risk related to the country and/or region 
within which the customer resides and makes an assessment of the financial strength of the customer and the 
market position that Vista Group has achieved within that market. 

The expected credit loss allowance as at 1 January 2018 was determined as follows for trade receivables:

1 JANUARY 2018 

Gross carrying amount
Baseline
Aging and Write offs
Country, Customer and Market 

CURRENT

91-180 DAYS 
PAST DUE

181-270 DAYS 
PAST DUE

271-360 DAYS 
PAST DUE

361+ DAYS 
PAST DUE

TOTAL

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

21,875

11,937

2,735

1,728

8,319

46,594

54

5

51

88

3

49

40

34

15

43

56

13

410

373

101

635

471

229

Total expected credit loss rate

0.50%

1.17%

3.25%

6.48%

10.63%

2.87%

Expected credit loss allowance

110

140

89

112

884

1,335

The expected credit loss allowance for trade receivables as at 31 December 2017 as reported in the annual report 
reconciles to the opening expected credit loss allowance on 1 January 2018 as follows:

Expected credit loss allowances for trade receivables
At 31 December 2017 – calculated under NZ IAS 39
Amounts restated through opening retained earnings

Opening expected credit loss allowance as at 1 January 2018 – calculated under NZ IFRS 9

NZ$’000

976

1,335

2,311

The expected credit loss allowance as at 31 December 2018 was determined as follows for trade receivables:

31 DECEMBER 2018 

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

CURRENT

91-180 DAYS 
PAST DUE

181-270 DAYS 
PAST DUE

271-360 DAYS 
PAST DUE

361+ DAYS 
PAST DUE

TOTAL

Gross carrying amount
Baseline
Aging and Write offs
Country, Customer and Market 

32,187

3,841

2,132

544

7,487

46,191

81

3

44

29

2

8

32

18

9

14

11

2

374

368

91

530

402

154

Total expected credit loss rate

0.40%

1.02%

2.77%

4.96%

11.13%

2.35%

Expected credit loss allowance

128

39

59

27

833

1,086

54
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

During the year the trade receivables position has improved resulting in a reduction in the expected credit loss 
allowance of $0.2m. This amount was recognised during the year within administration expenses in the statement 
of comprehensive income. 

Loan to associate company Numero

The loan and outstanding receivables from Numero are subject to the requirements of NZ IFRS 9. For these 
amounts, Vista Group has applied the general approach mandated under NZ IFRS 9 to assess the impairment 
provision, which involves assessing the lifetime recoverability of these receivables as the credit risk has increased 
since initial recognition.

Vista Group has considered reasonable and supportable information available to calculate the present value of 
future cash flows of Numero based on a five‑year period. Management judgement has been applied in determining 
the inputs for future periods and the discount rate applied. This analysis calculated the amount of debt supportable 
by Numero based on discounted future cash flows to be $5.4m at 31 December 2018, being no change from the 
prior reporting period.

At 31 December 2018, Vista Group recognised an incremental provision for impairment of $1.3m bringing the 
total amount provided for against the receivable from Numero to $3.0m. The provision combined with the gross 
receivable of $8.4m results in a net loan receivable of $5.4m. 

Sundry receivables

At balance date, Vista Group holds a total of $3.9m of Sundry receivables (2017: $11.4m). Management has applied 
judgement to remove this balance from the impairment calculation as the counterparties are considered to have 
a high level of certainty in terms of recoverability. 

Impact of standards issued but not yet adopted by Vista Group

NZ IFRS 16 Leases
NZ IFRS 16 Leases will result in almost all leases being recognised in the statement of financial position, as the 
distinction between operating leases and finance leases is removed. The standard is mandatory for reporting 
periods beginning on, or after 1 January 2019. Vista Group does not intend to adopt the standard before its 
mandatory effective date.

Under NZ IFRS 16, a contract is, or contains, a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an 
identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Under NZ IAS 17, a lessee was required to make 
a distinction between an operating lease (off balance sheet) and a finance lease (on balance sheet). NZ IFRS 16 
now requires a lessee to recognise a lease liability reflecting the future lease payments and a ‘right‑of‑use’ asset for 
almost all lease contracts. The statement of comprehensive income will be impacted by the recognition of an interest 
expense and a depreciation expense with premise rental and office equipment expenses removed altogether. 

For Vista Group, the impact will be primarily focused on the accounting for operating leases. As at the reporting 
date, Vista Group has operating lease commitments of $24.4m. Upon adoption, NZ IFRS 16 will have a significant 
impact upon Vista Group’s statement of financial position and statement of comprehensive income. 

To calculate the impact of NZ IFRS 16 as at 1 January 2019, being the date of adoption, Vista Group’s management 
has developed a detailed model. Management has had to apply judgement across several parameters that input 
into this model as follows:

•  The lease term including potential renewals for which Vista Group may have a right to exercise;

•  The incremental borrowing rate that is used to discount lease assets and liabilities.

As a result of the calculations and the application of judgement within the model, management is able to quantify 
the potential impact of NZ IFRS 16 based on the current lease arrangements across Vista Group. Management 
expects that there will be material impact across the following line items in the statement of financial position:

•  Recognition of right‑of‑use assets of $6.4m;

•  Recognition of a lease liability $7.0m; and

•  Decrease in opening retained earnings $0.6m.

55
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUEDNOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

The expected impact on the statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 31 December 2019 across 
the following lines items are estimated as follows:

•  Increase in finance costs (recognised as interest expense) $0.3m;

•  Increase in depreciation and amortisation expense $1.9m; and

•  Decrease in premises and office equipment expenses recognised within administration expenses $2.5m.

Estimates are subject to change at the time of adoption and for the year ended 31 December 2019 due to:

•  Any changes in managements judgements as they apply;

•  Outcome of renewals under lease agreements;

•  Any changes to existing leasing arrangement;

•  New lease contracts entered into; and

•  Finalisation of management’s judgements and changes to borrowing rates.

The implementation of NZ IFRS 16 has no cash impact to Vista Group as changes are limited to financial reporting 
requirements only. Vista Group intends to implement the simplified transition approach as defined in the standard 
for the year ended 31 December 2019 and will not restate comparative amounts for the period prior to adoption.

8. TAX

8.1  INCOME TAX EXPENSE

Income tax

The income tax expense for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in profit or loss in the 
statement of comprehensive income, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive 
income or directly in equity. In this case, the tax is also recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in 
equity, respectively. 

The current income tax expense is calculated on the basis of the tax laws enacted or substantively enacted at 
the balance sheet date in the countries where Vista Group operates and generates taxable income. Management 
periodically evaluates positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations in which applicable tax regulations 
are subject to interpretation and establishes provisions where appropriate on the basis of amounts expected to 
be paid to the tax authorities.

Income tax expense comprises:
Current tax expense
Deferred tax expense (section 8.2)

Tax expense

2018

NZ$’000

2017

NZ$’000

9,100

(1,089)

7,977

(1,147)

8,011

6,830

56
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Reconciliation of income tax expense

The relationship between the expected tax expense based on the domestic effective tax rate of the Company at 28% 
(2017: 28%) and the reported tax expense in the statement of comprehensive income can be reconciled as follows:

Profit before tax

Taxable income
Domestic tax rate for Vista Group International Limited

Expected tax expense

Foreign subsidiary company tax
Non‑assessable income/non‑deductible expenses
Prior period adjustment
Deferred tax assets no longer recognised
Other

Actual tax expense 

2018

NZ$’000

21,045

21,045

28%

5,893

170

880

(50)

1,007

111

8,011

2017

NZ$’000

16,813

16,813

28%

4,708

99

1,713

127

‑

183

6,830

As at 31 December 2018, Vista Group has $12,886,073 (2017: $8,881,478) of imputation credits available for use 
in subsequent reporting periods. 

8.2  DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Recognition of deferred tax assets

The net deferred tax asset at balance date includes temporary timing differences and income tax losses 
available to carry forward against future taxable profits. A deferred tax asset is recognised on losses, only when 
it is considered probable, that sufficient taxable profits will be available to utilise the losses in the near future. 
Management applies judgement when reviewing current business plans and forecasts to ascertain the likelihood of 
future taxable profits. The financial forecasts used in this assessment are the same as those used in the impairment 
review of goodwill and other assets in section 5.4. 

Deferred income tax

Deferred income tax is provided in full, using the liability method, on temporary differences arising between 
tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the financial statements. However, the deferred 
income tax is not accounted for if it arises from initial recognition of an asset or liability in a transaction other than 
a business combination that at the time of the transaction affects neither accounting nor taxable profit or loss. 
Deferred income tax is determined using tax rates (and laws) that have been enacted or substantially enacted by 
the balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the related deferred income tax asset is realised or the 
deferred income tax liability is settled. 

Deferred income tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profit will be available 
against which the temporary differences can be utilised. 

Deferred income tax is provided on temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and associates, 
except where the timing of the reversal of the temporary difference is controlled by Vista Group and it is probable 
that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future. 

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax 
assets against current tax liabilities and when the deferred income tax assets and liabilities relate to income taxes 
levied by the same taxation authority on either the same taxable entity or different taxable entities where there 
is an intention to settle the balances on a net basis.

57
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Deferred taxes arising from temporary differences and unused tax losses can be summarised as follows:

2018

Trade and sundry receivables
Employee benefits
Property, plant and equipment
Other
Intangible assets
Unused tax losses

Deferred tax temporary asset

2017

Trade and sundry receivables
Employee benefits
Property, plant and equipment
Other
Intangible assets
Unused tax losses

Deferred tax temporary asset/(liability)

OPENING  
BALANCE

NZ$’000

224

474

(108)

172

(1,535)

1,472

699

OPENING  
BALANCE

NZ$’000

28

422

(194)

59

(1,686)

997

(374)

ACQUIRED  
AS PART OF 
A BUSINESS 
COMBINATION

RECOGNISED 
IN INCOME 
STATEMENT

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

‑

‑

‑

‑

28

‑

28

188

1,122

(12)

(122)

247

(334)

1,089

ACQUIRED  
AS PART OF 
A BUSINESS 
COMBINATION

RECOGNISED 
IN INCOME 
STATEMENT

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

‑

‑

‑

‑

(74)

‑

(74)

196

52

86

113

225

475

1,147

CLOSING  
BALANCE

NZ$’000

412

1,596

(120)

50

(1,260)

1,138

1,816

CLOSING  
BALANCE

NZ$’000

224

474

(108)

172

(1,535)

1,472

699

9. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

Vista Group is exposed to three main types of risks in relation to financial instruments, which are market (foreign 
currency risk and interest rate risk), credit and liquidity. 

Vista Group’s risk management framework is set by the Board and implemented by management. Its focus includes 
actively monitoring and securing Vista Group’s short to medium‑term cash flows by minimising the exposure 
to financial markets. The most significant financial risks to which Vista Group is exposed are described below.

9.1  FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK

Vista Group operates internationally and is exposed to foreign exchange risk in US Dollars (USD), Pounds Sterling 
(GBP), Australian Dollars (AUD), Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) and Euros (EUR). Foreign exchange risk arises 
from future commercial transactions and recognised assets and liabilities denominated in a currency that is not 
the functional currency of the relevant group entity.

To mitigate exposure to foreign currency risk, foreign currency cash flows are monitored in accordance with the 
Vista Group’s risk management policies. Vista Group’s risk management policies include treasury management and 
foreign exchange policies, the implementation of which is set and reviewed regularly by the Board. Vista Group’s 
risk management procedures distinguish short‑term foreign currency cash flows (due within 6 months) from 
longer‑term cash flows (due after 6 months). Where the amounts to be paid and received in a specific currency 
are expected to largely offset one another, no further hedging activity is undertaken. The foreign exchange policy 
allows for the use of hedging activity however no financial instruments were in use at balance date.

58
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Foreign currency denominated financial assets and liabilities which expose Vista Group to currency risk are disclosed 
below. The amounts shown are those reported to key management translated into NZD at the closing rate:

USD

GBP

EUR

CNY

AUD

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

31 DECEMBER 2018

Financial assets
Cash 
Trade receivables 
Sundry receivables 

Financial liabilities
Trade payables 
Sundry accruals
Borrowings 

Net exposure 

31 DECEMBER 2017

Financial assets
Cash 
Trade receivables 
Sundry receivables 

Financial liabilities
Trade payables 
Sundry accruals
Borrowings 
Contingent consideration 

19,584

27,749

469

(1,358)

(1,026)

(5,960)

9,945

3,839

‑

(65)

(518)

‑

1,566

5,228

382

(82)

(52)

(5,983)

‑

5,855

‑

(2,358)

‑

‑

1,905

1,526

‑

(4)

‑

‑

39,458

13,201

1,059

3,497

3,427

14,731

22,985

‑

(3,385)

(872)

(5,637)

(908)

3,648

4,519

‑

(88)

(157)

‑

‑

1,339

3,814

510

(162)

(5)

(5,686)

‑

‑

11,934

8,664

(1,375)

(980)

‑

‑

388

1,269

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

Net exposure 

26,914

7,922

(190)

18,243

1,657

The following table illustrates the sensitivity of profit or loss and equity in regard to Vista Group’s financial assets 
and liabilities affected by USD/NZD exchange rate, the GBP/NZD exchange rate, the EUR/NZD exchange rate, 
the CNY/NZD exchange rate and the AUD/NZD exchange rate ‘all other things being equal’. It assumes a +/‑ 10% 
change of the NZD to currency exchange rate for the year ended 31 December 2018 (2017: 10%). These percentages 
have been determined based on the average market volatility in exchange rates in the previous 12 months. The 
sensitivity analysis is based on Vista Group’s foreign currency financial instruments held at each reporting date.

31 December 2018
10% strengthening in NZD
10% weakening in NZD

31 December 2017
10% strengthening in NZD
10% weakening in NZD

PROFIT/EQUITY

USD

GBP

EUR

CNY

AUD

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

(3,587)

4,384

(2,447)

2,991

(1,200)

1,467

(720)

880

(96)

118

17

(21)

(318)

388

(1,658)

2,027

(312)

381

(151)

184

Exposures to foreign exchange rates vary during the year depending on the volume of overseas transactions. 
Nonetheless, the analysis above is considered to be representative of Vista Group’s exposure to market risk. 

59
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONTINUED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

9.2  INTEREST RATE RISK

Vista Group’s interest rate risk primarily arises from long‑term borrowing, cash and advances to associates. 
Borrowings and deposits at variable rates expose Vista Group to cash flow interest rate risk. Borrowings and 
deposits at fixed rates expose Vista Group to fair value interest rate risk.

The following tables set out the interest rate repricing profile and current interest rate of the interest‑bearing 
financial assets and liabilities. 

EFFECTIVE 
INTEREST 
RATE 

FLOATING

NZ$’000

FIXED UP TO  
3 MONTHS

FIXED UP TO  
6 MONTHS

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

FIXED UP TO  

5 YEARS

NZ$’000

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2018 

Assets

Related party loan – Numero

Cash

Liabilities

Borrowings

Borrowings related party

6.0%

‑

4.4%

5.0%

‑

34,353

34,353

‑

‑

‑

Total exposure

34,353

TOTAL

NZ$’000

8,386

34,353

42,739

8,386

‑

8,386

(11,076)

(868)

(11,076)

(868)

(11,944)

(11,944)

(3,558)

30,795

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

Profit or loss is sensitive to higher/lower interest income/expense from cash as a result of changes in interest rates.

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2018 

Cash

Related party loan – Numero

Borrowings

Borrowings related party

Total exposure

9.3  CREDIT RISK

EFFECTIVE 
INTEREST RATE 
+1%

EFFECTIVE 
INTEREST RATE 
-1%

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

344

84

(111)

(9)

308

(344)

(84)

111

9

(308)

Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty fails to discharge an obligation to Vista Group. Vista Group is exposed 
to this risk for various financial instruments, for example trade and sundry receivables and deposits with financial 
institutions and related parties. The maximum exposure to credit risk is limited to the carrying amount of financial 
assets recognised at 31 December, as summarised in section 10.3.

Vista Group continuously monitors defaults of customers and other counterparties, identified either individually 
or by Vista Group, and incorporates this information into its credit risk controls. Vista Group’s policy is to deal only 
with creditworthy counterparties.

At 31 December, Vista Group has certain trade receivables that have not been settled by the contractual due 
date but are not considered to be impaired because of the nature of contracts and/or the longevity of ongoing 
customer relationships. The amounts at 31 December, analysed by the length of time past due, are:

Not more than 3 months

Between 3 months and 4 months

Over 4 months

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

13,528

1,585

12,267

6,664

8,202

16,150

27,380

31,016

60
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

As at 31 December 2018, Vista Group holds a receivable from its associate company, Vista China, amounting 
to $6.8m (2017: $12.8m) which is over 4 months past due. Subsequent to year end Vista Group and Vista China 
have settled all outstanding related party amounts. Refer to section 3.1 for further details.

In respect of trade receivables, Vista Group is not exposed to any significant credit risk exposure to any single 
counterparty or any group of counterparties having similar characteristics. Trade receivables consist of a large 
number of customers in various industries and geographical areas. Based on historical information about customer 
default rates, management considers the credit quality of trade receivables that are not past due or impaired 
to be good.

Judgement has been applied to the recoverability of all trade receivables, with management confirming that 
all amounts are deemed recoverable and are not impaired. 

The credit risk for cash is considered negligible, since the counterparties are reputable banks with high quality 
external credit ratings.

Advances to Numero are subject to credit risk and the extent of the recovery of the advances is dependent 
on Numero achieving budgeted and forecasted growth. 

9.4  LIQUIDITY RISK

Liquidity risk is the risk that Vista Group might be unable to meet its obligations. Vista Group’s objective is to 
maintain a balance between continuity of funding and flexibility through monitoring of cash and the use of bank 
overdrafts and bank loans (see section 4.2). Vista Group’s policy is that not more than 25% of borrowings should 
mature in the next 12‑month period. The related party borrowings of $0.9m (2017: $0.6m) will mature in greater 
than one year at 31 December 2018. Vista Group assessed the concentration of risk with respect to refinancing its 
debt as being low. Access to sources of funding is sufficiently available and debt maturing within 12 months can 
be rolled over with existing lenders.

Vista Group has significant cash balances held as cash on hand of $34.4m. Vista Group’s dividend policy is to 
distribute between 30% to 50% of net profit after tax subject to immediate and future growth opportunities and 
identified capital expenditure requirements. At balance date Vista Group has a NZD $2m on‑call credit facility 
with the ASB, against which there has been no draw down. 

The table below summarises the maturity profile of Vista Group’s non‑derivative financial liabilities based 
on contractual undiscounted payments.

ON DEMAND

LESS THAN  
3 MONTHS

3 TO 12 
MONTHS

1 TO 5  
YEARS

> 5 YEARS

TOTAL

  SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018

Trade payables

Sundry accruals

Borrowings

Interest on borrowings

Contingent consideration

2017

Trade payables

Sundry accruals

Borrowings

Interest on borrowings

Contingent consideration

5.6

4.2

5.6

4.2

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

5,824

3,978

‑

122

‑

9,924

4,413

2,856

‑

77

‑

‑

‑

‑

366

‑

366

‑

‑

614

232

‑

‑

‑

11,944

711

‑

12,655

‑

‑

10,709

824

908

7,346

846

12,441

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

‑

‑

‑

‑

‑

-

5,824

3,978

11,944

1,199

‑

22,945

4,413

2,856

11,323

1,133

908

20,633

61
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

10. OTHER INFORMATION

10.1  EXPENSES

Government grants

Government grants are recognised where there is reasonable assurance that the grant will be received, and 
all attached conditions will be complied with. Government grants are recognised within the statement of 
comprehensive income as an offset to operating expenses.

During the year, Vista Group recognised a total of $3.2m (2017: $3.6m) of grants from Callaghan Innovation in 
New Zealand and Ministry of Economic Affairs (WBSO) in the Netherlands to assist with Research and Development. 
At balance date, there is a 10% retention amount related to 2018 grants of $0.3m yet to be paid and subject to 
independent auditor review. 

Auditor’s remuneration included in administration expenses

Audit of financial statements

Audit and review of financial statements – PwC

Audit and review of financial statements – Scrutton Bland

Other services

Performed by PwC:

Review of R&D growth grant

Advice on long‑term employee incentive scheme

Due diligence agreed upon procedures

Total other services

Total fees paid to auditor(s)

Other expenses

Included in administration expenses:

Depreciation 

Amortisation of intangible assets

Lease payments recognised as an operating lease expense

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

430

62

15

24

‑

39

531

314

30

7

8

13

28

372

  SECTION

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

2018

2017

5.5

5.2

1,676

2,480

3,593

1,279

2,349

2,880

Vista Group has expensed $22.4m of aggregated research and development expenditure associated with 
software research and development for 2018 (2017: $19.0m) within operating expenses in the statement 
of comprehensive income.

10.2  OPERATING LEASES

Leased assets

All leases are operating leases. Leases in which a significant portion of the risks and rewards of ownership are 
not transferred to Vista Group as a lessee are classified as an operating lease. Payments made under operating 
leases (net of any incentives received from the lessor) are charged to the statement of comprehensive income 
on a straight‑line basis over the period of the lease. Associated costs, such as maintenance and insurance, are 
expensed as incurred in the statement of comprehensive income.

62
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Operating lease commitments

Vista Group has operating lease commitments in respect of property and equipment. The total future minimum 
payments under non‑cancellable operating leases were payable as follows:

Less than one year

Between one and five years

More than five years

10.3  FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Financial instruments

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

4,554

15,987

3,829

24,370

2,923

3,758

‑

6,681

The classification of financial assets and liabilities depends on the purpose for which the financial assets were 
acquired. Management determines the classification of Vista Group’s financial assets and liabilities at initial recognition. 

Vista Group’s financial assets for the periods covered by these financial statements are measured at amortised cost. 

Vista Group measures all financial liabilities, with the exception of contingent consideration, at amortised cost in 
the periods covered by these financial statements. Contingent consideration is measured at fair value. Contingent 
consideration is classified as equity or a financial liability. Amounts classified as a financial liability are subsequently 
remeasured to fair value with changes in the fair value recognised in the statement of comprehensive income. 

(a)  Loans and receivables 

Loans and receivables are non‑derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted 
in an active market. They are included in current assets, except for loans and receivables with maturities greater 
than 12 months after the balance sheet date. These are classified as non‑current assets. Vista Group’s loans and 
receivables comprise ‘trade and other receivables’ in the statement of financial position. 

(b)  Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost 

Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost are non‑derivative financial liabilities with fixed or determinable 
payments that are not quoted in an active market. Trade and other payables, related party loans and borrowings 
are classified as financial liabilities measured at amortised cost. 

Recognition and derecognition

Financial assets are derecognised when the rights to receive cash flows from the financial assets have expired or 
have been transferred and Vista Group has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership. Financial 
liabilities are derecognised if Vista Group’s obligations specified in the contract expire or are discharged or cancelled. 

Measurement 

At initial recognition, Vista Group measures a financial asset and liability at its fair value plus transaction costs that 
are directly attributable to the acquisition of the financial asset. 

After initial recognition, loans and receivables are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method. After initial recognition, financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method. 

Impairment 

Vista Group assesses at the end of each reporting period whether there is objective evidence that a financial asset 
or group of financial assets is impaired. A financial asset or group of financial assets is impaired and impairment 
losses are incurred only if there is objective evidence of impairment as a result of one or more events that 
occurred after the initial recognition of the asset (a ‘loss event’) and that loss event (or events) has an impact on 
the estimated future cash flows of the financial asset or group of financial assets that can be reliably estimated. 
Evidence of impairment may include indications that the debtor or group of debtors is experiencing significant 
financial difficulty, default or delinquency in interest or principal payments, the probability that they will enter 
bankruptcy or other financial reorganisation and observable data indicating that there is a measurable decrease 
in the estimated future cash flows, such as changes in arrears or economic conditions that correlate with defaults. 

63
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

For loans and receivables, the amount of the loss is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying 
amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows (excluding future credit losses that have not been 
incurred) discounted at the financial asset’s original effective interest rate. The carrying amount of the asset is 
reduced and the amount of the loss is recognised in the statement of comprehensive income. 

If, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss decreases and the decrease can be related 
objectively to an event occurring after the impairment was recognised (such as an improvement in the debtor’s 
credit rating), the reversal of the previously recognised impairment loss is recognised in the statement of 
comprehensive income.

Fair value of financial assets and liabilities

Vista Group’s financial assets and liabilities by category are summarised as follows:

Cash

Cash comprises cash at bank and on hand and its carrying value is equivalent to fair value.

Trade, related party and other receivables

These assets are short term in nature and are reviewed for impairment; the carrying value approximates their 
fair value.

Trade, related party and other payables

These liabilities are mainly short term in nature with the carrying value approximating their fair value. 

Related party loans

Fair value is estimated based on current market interest rates available for receivables of similar maturity and risk. 
The interest rate is used to discount future cash flows. 

Borrowings

Borrowings have fixed and floating interest rates. Fair value is estimated using the discounted cash flow model 
based on a current market interest rate for similar products; the carrying value approximates their fair value.

Fair values

Vista Group’s financial instruments that are measured subsequent to initial recognition at fair values are grouped 
into levels based on the degree to which the fair value is observable: 

Level 1   – fair value measurements derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

Level 2  –  fair value measurements derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are 

observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3  –  fair value measurements derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability 

which are not based on observable market data.

There have been no transfers between levels or changes in the valuation methods used to determine the fair value 
of the Group’s financial instruments during the period. As at 31 December 2018 Vista Group has no level 3 financial 
instruments related to contingent consideration (2017: $0.9m). 

64
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONTINUED

Financial instruments by category

Financial assets measured at amortised cost

Cash

Trade receivables

Sundry receivables

Related party loan – Numero

Related party advance – Numero

Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost

Trade payables

Sundry accruals

Borrowings

Financial liabilities measured at fair value

Contingent consideration

2018

2017

NZ$’000

NZ$’000

34,353

44,293

3,343

5,413

‑

20,954

45,618

10,611

2,621

2,792

87,402

82,596

5,824

3,978

11,944

4,413

2,856

11,323

‑

908

21,746

19,500

10.4  OTHER DISCLOSURES

Contingent liabilities

There were no contingent liabilities for Vista Group at 31 December 2018 (2017: $Nil).

Capital commitments

There were no capital commitments for Vista Group at 31 December 2018 (2017: $Nil). 

Events after balance date

On 26 February 2019, the Board approved a fully imputed final dividend of 2.1 cents per share. The dividend record 
date is 11 March 2019 with a payment date of 22 March 2019.

There have been no other events subsequent to 31 December 2018 which materially impact on the results 
reported (2017: nil).

65
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

Independent auditor’s report  
To the shareholders of Vista Group International Limited 

the statement of comprehensive income for the year then ended; 

the statement of financial position as at 31 December 2018; 

We have audited the financial statements which comprise: 
 
 
 
 
 

the statement of cashflows for the year then ended; and 

the statement of changes in equity for the year then ended; 

the notes to the financial statements, which include the principal accounting policies. 

Our opinion  
In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements of Vista Group International Limited (the 
Company), including its subsidiaries (the Group), present fairly, in all material respects, the financial 
position of the Group as at 31 December 2018, its financial performance and its cash flows for the year 
then ended in accordance with New Zealand Equivalents to International Financial Reporting 
Standards (NZ IFRS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).  

Basis for opinion  
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (New Zealand)  
(ISAs (NZ)) and International Standards on Auditing (ISAs). Our responsibilities under those 
standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial 
statements section of our report.  

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for 
our opinion.  

We are independent of the Group in accordance with Professional and Ethical Standard 1 (Revised) 
Code of Ethics for Assurance Practitioners (PES 1) issued by the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance 
Standards Board and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ Code of Ethics for 
Professional Accountants (IESBA Code), and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in 
accordance with these requirements.  

Our firm carries out other services for the Group in the areas of related assurance services (R&D 
growth grant schedule review) and advisory services in relation to the long term employee incentive 
schemes. The provision of these other services has not impaired our independence as auditor of the 
Group. 

PricewaterhouseCoopers, 188 Quay Street, Private Bag 92162, Auckland 1142, New Zealand 
T: +64 9 355 8000, F: +64 9 355 8001, pwc.co.nz  

66
66
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

  
  
  
 
  
Our audit approach 

Overview 

An audit is designed to obtain reasonable assurance 
whether the financial statements are free from material 
misstatement. 

Overall Group materiality: $1.1 million, which represents 
approximately 5% of profit before tax. 

We chose profit before tax as the benchmark because, in 
our view, it is the benchmark against which the 
performance of the Group is most commonly measured 
by users, and is a generally accepted benchmark. 

We have determined that there are three key audit 
matters: 

  Carrying value of the investment in Vista 

Entertainment Solutions Shanghai Limited (“Vista 
China”) 

Impairment testing of goodwill 

 
  Recoverability of loan to Numero Limited 

(“Numero”) 

Materiality 
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality.  

Based on our professional judgement, we determined certain quantitative thresholds for materiality, 
including the overall Group materiality for the financial statements as a whole as set out above. These, 
together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit, the nature, 
timing and extent of our audit procedures and to evaluate the effect of misstatements, both 
individually and in aggregate on the financial statements as a whole. 

Audit scope 
We designed our audit by assessing the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements and 
our application of materiality. As in all of our audits, we also addressed the risk of management 
override of internal controls including among other matters, consideration of whether there was 
evidence of bias that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud. 

We tailored the scope of our audit in order to perform sufficient work to enable us to provide an 
opinion on the financial statements as a whole, taking into account the structure of the Group, the 
accounting processes and controls, and the industry in which the Group operates. 

We performed full scope audits of the financially significant subsidiaries of the Group. In addition,  
we also performed specific audit procedures over certain balances and transactions of the holding 
company, other subsidiaries and associates. 

PwC 

67
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

  
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
The full scope audits and specific audit procedures were undertaken by PwC New Zealand and were 
performed at a materiality level calculated with reference to a proportion of the Group materiality 
appropriate to the relative financial scale of the subsidiary concerned. 

Key audit matters  
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in 
our audit of the financial statements of the current year. These matters were addressed in the context 
of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not 
provide a separate opinion on these matters. 

Key audit matter 

How our audit addressed the key audit 
matter 

Carrying value of the investment in Vista 
Entertainment Solutions Shanghai Limited 
(“Vista China”) 

Our audit procedures in relation to the carrying 
value of the investment in Vista China included 
the following: 

As disclosed in Note 3.1, the carrying value of 
the Group’s investment in Vista China amounts 
to $31.8 million, including goodwill of $20.2 
million. The Group uses the equity method of 
accounting for its investment. 

  We held discussions with management, 

including those outside of the Vista finance 
function, to gain an understanding of the 
strategy and performance to date of Vista 
China;  

Management undertook an assessment of the 
fair value of goodwill and of its investment in 
Vista China to assess whether there had been 
any impairment. This assessment involved 
significant management judgement in 
determining key assumptions and estimates 
and included consideration of: 

  The recent trading performance of Vista 

China and the 2019 budget; 

  The forecast revenue growth rates and cash 
flows for the following 4 years of the overall 
5 year forecast period; 

  An indicative valuation conducted by an 

independent expert based on 
management’s budget and forecasts; and 

  Assumptions relating to a minority 

discount. 

The assessment concluded that there was no 
impairment of the investment. 

  We reviewed Board meeting minutes to 

identify any events or conditions that indicate 
potential impairment of the investment;  

  We considered the report prepared by 

management’s independent expert on their 
indicative valuation assessment undertaken 
as at 31 December 2018. We also compared 
this current assessment to the valuation 
undertaken by the same independent expert 
in 2016 and 2017; 

  We engaged our own expert to consider the 

valuation methodology utilised by 
management’s independent expert and the 
key assumptions made, in particular the 
revenue growth rate, discount rate and 
minority discount. Our expert’s assessment 
included comparing the indicative valuation 
determined by management’s independent 
expert with the valuation indicated by an 
external share broker. 

We have no matters to report as a result of our 
procedures. 

PwC 

68
68
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impairment testing of goodwill  

Note 5.3 of the financial statements provides 
details of the goodwill balance of $63.9 million 
as at 31 December 2018.   

Management perform an annual assessment to 
determine whether there is any impairment of 
goodwill, as disclosed in Note 5.4. 

Our audit procedures in relation to impairment 
testing of goodwill included the following: 

  We gained an understanding of the business 

processes and controls applied by 
management in assessing whether there was 
any impairment of goodwill. 

A value in use methodology was utilised to 
determine the recoverable amount of each cash 
generating unit (CGU) using discounted cash 
flows (DCF) and then compare this amount 
with the carrying amount of the associated net 
assets, including goodwill, of each CGU as at  
31 December 2018. The estimated cash flows 
used in the DCF model were based on the 2019 
budget and forecast cash flows for the 
following four years. 

The valuations involve the application of 
significant judgment in forecasting future 
business performance and determining certain 
key assumptions and estimates, in particular: 

  Revenue growth rates for the 5 year 

forecast period; 

  The long term growth rates for cash flows 
beyond the 5 year forecast period; and 

  The appropriate discount rate for each 

CGU.  

Changes in these assumptions might lead to 
changes in the carrying value of goodwill. The 
risk is greater for the goodwill attributed to the 
Share Dimension BV (“Cinema Intelligence”) 
and MACCS International BV (“MACCS”) 
CGUs where the headroom compared to 
carrying amount is lower than the for the other 
CGUs. 

Management concluded that goodwill was not 
impaired as at 31 December 2018.  However, 
the valuation of the Cinema Intelligence and 
MACCS CGUs were both sensitive to 
reasonably possible changes in revenue growth 
assumptions and the MACCS CGU was also 
sensitive to reasonably possible changes in the 
discount rate and such changes could result in 
an impairment, as disclosed in Note 5.4 of the 
financial statements.   

  We held discussions with management, 

including those outside of the Vista finance 
function, about the performance of each CGU 
and whether there were any events or 
circumstances that indicated the carrying 
amount of the CGU, including goodwill, was 
impaired.  

  We tested the calculation of the DCF model, 

including the inputs and the mathematical 
accuracy and compared the resulting 
balances to the relevant net assets of each 
CGU. 

  We assessed the key estimates and 

assumptions made by management in the 
CGUs’ DCF models, by performing the 
following procedures:  

o  Obtained an understanding of how 

management prepared its budget and 
forecasts and the associated review and 
approval processes; 

o  Assessed management’s ability to 
accurately forecast by comparing 
historical forecasts to actual results; 

o  Compared growth rates used over the 5 
year forecast period to historical growth 
rates and board approved budgets as well 
as challenging whether the historical 
growth rates are sustainable as the 
businesses mature; and 

o  Obtained and evaluated management’s 

sensitivity analysis to ascertain the impact 
of reasonably possible changes. We also 
performed our own sensitivity analysis on 
the impact of changing key assumptions to 
consider whether any reasonably possible 
changes could result in impairment of 
goodwill.  

PwC 

69
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

  
  
 
  
 
 
 
  For the Cinema Intelligence and MACCS 
CGUs we also performed the following 
procedures: 

o  Considered the performance of those 
CGUs and gained an understanding of 
strategic and operational initiatives being 
undertaken through discussions with 
management, including those outside of 
the Vista finance function; 

o  Assessed the extent to which revenue in 
the 2019 budget is contracted and agreed 
a sample of forecast amounts to signed 
customer contracts; and 

o  Engaged our own expert to evaluate the 
discount rates and terminal growth rates 
used in the CGUs’ DCF model by 
comparing with those of similar market 
participants.  

We reviewed the disclosures in note 5.4 to the 
financial statements to ensure they are compliant 
with the requirements of the accounting 
standards. 

We have no matters to report as a result of our 
procedures. 

Recoverability of loan to Numero Limited 
(“Numero”) 

The Group has $5.4 million of related party 
loans receivable from its associate, Numero at 
31 December 2018, as disclosed in note 3.2.  
This balance is net of a provision of $3.0 
million. 

Management assessed the recoverability of the 
loan receivable from Numero by estimating the 
present value of Numero’s future cash flows 
based on the 2019 budget and forecasts for the 
following four years.  Judgement has been 
applied in determining the inputs for future 
cash flows, and the discount rate applied.  

Management concluded that it was appropriate 
to recognise an incremental impairment 
provision of $1.3 million at 31 December 2018, 
bringing the total amount provided against the 
loan receivable to $3.0 million, as disclosed in 
Note 7.7. 

Our audit procedures in relation to the 
recoverability of the loan to Numero included the 
following: 

  We gained an understanding of the business 

processes and controls applied by 
management in assessing the recoverability 
of the loan receivable. 

  We held discussions with Vista Group and 
Numero management about Numero’s 
performance and whether there were any 
events or circumstances that indicated that 
the carrying value of the loan was impaired.  

  We tested the calculation of the discounted 

cash flow model, including the inputs and the 
mathematical accuracy. 

  We assessed the key estimates and 

assumptions made by management in the 
discounted cash flow model, by performing 
the following procedures: 

PwC 

70
70
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

  
  
 
  
 
 
o  Obtained an understanding of how 

Numero management prepared its 2019 
budget and forecasts and the associated 
review and approval processes, including 
approval of the budget by the Vista Board; 

o  Assessed Numero management’s ability to 

accurately forecast by comparing 
historical forecasts to actual results; 

o  Considered the extent to which revenue in 
the 2019 budget is  contracted and agreed 
a sample to signed customer contracts; 

o  Compared the growth rates used over the 
5 year forecast period to historical growth 
rates, board approved budgets and other 
strategic and operational initiatives being 
undertaken, as well as challenging 
whether the historical growth rates are 
sustainable as the business matures; 

o  Evaluated the discount rate used in the 
model by comparing it with the implied 
effective interest rate in the loan; and 

o  Performed our own sensitivity analysis on 
the impact of changing key assumptions to 
consider whether any reasonably possible 
changes could result in impairment of the 
loan receivable. 

We have no matters to report as a result of our 
procedures. 

Information other than the financial statements and auditor’s report 
The Directors are responsible for the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not 
cover the other information included in the annual report and we do not express any form of assurance 
conclusion on the other information.  At the time of our audit, there was no other information 
available to us. 

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other 
information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with 
the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially 
misstated. If, based on the work we have performed on the other information that we obtained prior to 
the date of this auditor’s report, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other 
information, we are required to report that fact.  

PwC 

71
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

  
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
Responsibilities of the Directors for the financial statements 
The Directors are responsible, on behalf of the Company, for the preparation and fair presentation of 
the financial statements in accordance with NZ IFRS and IFRS, and for such internal control as the 
Directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.  

In preparing the financial statements, the Directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s ability to 
continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the 
going concern basis of accounting unless the Directors either intend to liquidate the Group or to cease 
operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.  

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements, as a whole, 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report 
that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee 
that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (NZ) and ISAs will always detect a material 
misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material 
if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.  

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located at the 
External Reporting Board’s website at: 

https://www.xrb.govt.nz/standards-for-assurance-practitioners/auditors-responsibilities/audit-
report-1/ 

This description forms part of our auditor’s report.  

Who we report to 
This report is made solely to the Company’s shareholders, as a body.  Our audit work has been 
undertaken so that we might state those matters which we are required to state to them in an auditor’s 
report and for no other purpose.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume 
responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company’s shareholders, as a body, for our 
audit work, for this report or for the opinions we have formed. 

The engagement partner on the audit resulting in this independent auditor’s report is Leopino Foliaki.  

For and on behalf of:  

Chartered Accountants 
26 February 2019 

PwC 

72
72
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Auckland 

  
  
 
  
 
  
  
  
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 CORPORATE 

GOVERNANCE

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT

The Investor Centre section of the Company’s website 
(www.vistagroup.co.nz) includes copies of the 
following corporate governance documents referred 
to in this section:

•   Constitution 

•   Corporate Governance Code and Appendices 

(the Code), including:

  –   Code of Ethics

  –   Securities Trading Policy and Guidelines

  –   Shareholder Participation

  –   Audit and Risk Management Committee Charter 

(ARC Charter)

  –   Nominations and Remuneration Committee 

Charter (NRC Charter)

•   Diversity and Inclusion Policy

•   Continuous Disclosure Policy

•   Risk and Compliance Framework Summary 

The Board recognises the importance of good 
corporate governance, particularly its role in delivering 
improved corporate performance and protecting the 
interests of all stakeholders.

The Board is responsible for establishing and 
implementing the Company’s corporate governance 
frameworks, and is committed to fulfilling this role 
in accordance with best practice while observing 
applicable laws, the NZX Corporate Governance 
Code (NZX Recommendations), the Financial Markets 
Authority Corporate Governance in New Zealand – 
Principles and Guidelines handbook and the Corporate 
Governance Principles and Recommendations 
(4th Edition) issued by the ASX Corporate Governance 
Council (ASX Recommendations).

The Company changed its listing category on the 
ASX to an ASX Foreign Exempt Listing on 27 October 
2015 and, as a result, it is exempt from complying 
with the majority of the ASX listing rules. Instead, as 
the NZX is the home exchange of the Company, it is 
required to primarily comply with the NZX Main Board 
Listing Rules (Listing Rules), including in relation 
to corporate governance. The Company previously 
reported its approach to governance against the eight 
fundamental principles of the ASX Recommendations. 

For the period ended 31 December 2018, the 
Company has prepared its corporate governance 
statement against the eight principles of the 
NZX Recommendations. 

PRINCIPLE 1 – CODE OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

Directors should set high standards of ethical 
behaviour, model this behaviour and hold management 
accountable for these standards being followed 
throughout the organisation.

Recommendation 1.1 – The board should document 
minimum standards of ethical behaviour to which 
the issuer’s directors and employees are expected 
to adhere (a code of ethics). The code of ethics 
and where to find it should be communicated to 
the issuer’s employees. Training should be provided 
regularly. The standards may be contained in a single 
policy document or more than one policy.

The code of ethics should outline internal reporting 
procedures for any breach of ethics, and describe the 
issuer’s expectations about behaviour, namely that 
every director and employee:

a.   acts honestly and with personal integrity in all 

actions;

b.   declares conflicts of interest and proactively 

advises of any potential conflicts;

c.   undertakes proper receipt and use of corporate 

information, assets and property;

d.   in the case of directors, gives proper attention 

to the matters before them;

e.   acts honestly and in the best interests of the issuer, 
shareholders and stakeholders and as required 
by law;

f.   adheres to any procedures around giving and 

receiving gifts (for example, where gifts are given 
that are of value in order to influence employees 
and directors, such gifts should not be accepted);

g.   adheres to any procedures about whistle blowing 
(for example, where actions of a whistle blower 
have complied with the issuer’s procedures, an 
issuer should protect and support them, whether 
or not action is taken); and

h.   manages breaches of the code.

The Board maintains high standards of ethical conduct 
and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible 
for ensuring that such high standards are maintained 
by all of the Company’s staff. Director responsibilities 
and expectations with regards to conflicts of interest 
are set out in the Code. The most recent version of the 
Code is readily available on the Company’s website.

Code of Ethics 

The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics which 
plays a key role in establishing the framework by which 
the Company’s employees are expected to conduct 
themselves. The Code includes the Code of Ethics, 

74
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

which is available on the Company’s website. The Code 
of Ethics is not intended to prescribe an exhaustive list 
of acceptable and non‑acceptable behaviour, rather 
it is intended to facilitate decisions that are consistent 
with the Company’s values, business goals and legal 
and policy obligations, thereby enhancing performance 
outcomes. Employees must familiarise themselves with 
the Company’s values, as they govern their behaviour 
while they are employed by the Company. 

The Code of Ethics covers, among other things, 
conflicts of interest, gifts and behaviours. 

The Code of Ethics sets out: 

•   the practices necessary to maintain confidence 

in the Company’s integrity; 

•   the practices necessary to take into account the 
Company’s legal obligations and the reasonable 
expectations of its stakeholders; and 

•   the responsibility and accountability of individuals 

to report and investigate unethical practices. 

Directors and management are expected to lead the 
Company according to the Code of Ethics and to 
ensure that the standards set out in the Code of Ethics 
are communicated to the people who report to the 
Directors and management. 

Any person who becomes aware of a breach or 
suspected breach of the Code of Ethics is required to 
report it immediately in accordance with the policy.

The Code of Ethics is provided to new employees as 
part of their induction material and the current version 
is maintained on the Company’s internal web portal 
for access by employees.

Conflicts of Interests

The Code of Ethics outlines the Board’s policy on 
conflicts of interest. Where conflicts of interest do 
exist, Directors excuse themselves from discussions 
and do not exercise their right to vote in respect 
of such matters.

Recommendation 1.2 – An issuer should have 
a financial product dealing policy which applies 
to employees and directors.

All Directors and employees are required to comply 
with the Company’s Securities Trading Policy and 
Guidelines (Securities Trading Policy) in undertaking 
any trading in the Company’s shares. The Securities 
Trading Policy is included in the Code, which 
is available on the Company’s website.

PRINCIPLE 2 – BOARD COMPOSITION 
& PERFORMANCE

To ensure an effective board, there should be 
a balance of independence, skills, knowledge, 
experience and perspectives.

Recommendation 2.1 – The board of an issuer should 
operate under a written charter which sets out the 
roles and responsibilities of the board. The board 
charter should clearly distinguish and disclose the 
respective roles and responsibilities of the board 
and management. 

The Board is the overall and final body responsible 
for all decision making within the Company, having 
a core objective to effectively represent and promote 
the interests of its shareholders with a view to adding 
long‑term value to the Company.

The Code describes the Board’s role and responsibilities 
and regulates internal Board procedures. The Board 
has a responsibility to work to enhance the value of 
the Company in the interests of the Company and 
its shareholders.

The Board

The Board is responsible for directing the Company 
and enhancing shareholder value in accordance with 
good corporate governance principles. Further, the 
Board has statutory responsibilities over the affairs 
and activities of the Company, with the power to 
delegate those responsibilities to the CEO and the 
executive team. 

The main functions of the Board, the CEO and the 
senior executive team are set out in the Code. There 
is a clear delineation between the Board’s responsibility 
for the Company’s strategy and activities, and the 
day‑to‑day management of operations conferred 
upon other officers of the Company. 

The Board reserves certain functions to itself. 
These include: 

•   approving, and from time to time reviewing, 
the Company’s corporate mission statement; 

•   selecting and (if necessary) replacing the CEO; 

•   ensuring that the Company has adequate 

management to achieve its objectives and to 
support the CEO so that a satisfactory plan for 
management succession is in place; 

•   reviewing and approving the strategic, business 
and financial plans prepared by management; 

•   reviewing and approving certain material 

transactions, and making certain investment 
and divestment decisions; 

75
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

•   approving and overseeing the administration of 

the Company’s technology development strategy; 

•   monitoring the Company’s performance against its 

approved strategic, business and financial plans and 
overseeing the Company’s operating results; 

•   ensuring the Company, the Board and the executive 

team’s behaviour is consistent with the Code of Ethics, 
including compliance with the Company’s constitution, 
any relevant laws, listing rules and regulations and any 
relevant auditing and accounting principles; 

•   implementing, and from time to time reviewing, the 
Company’s Code of Ethics, to foster high standards 
of ethical conduct and personal behaviour, and hold 
accountable those Directors, managers or other 
employees who engage in unethical behaviour; 

•   ensuring the quality and independence of the 

Company’s external audit process; and 

•   assessing from time to time the Company’s 

effectiveness in carrying out the functions listed 
above, and the other responsibilities of the Board. 

Ltd has one wholly owned subsidiary Movio, Inc. VUK 
has two wholly owned subsidiaries, Vista International 
Entertainment Solutions South Africa (Pty) Limited 
and Vista Entertainment Solutions (Spain), S.L.. 
MX has one wholly owned subsidiary movieXchange 
Limited. Board meetings were held for each of these 
subsidiaries during the year ended 31 December 2018, 
with material matters raised in these meetings reported 
to the Company’s Board, as appropriate.

Delegation 

To enhance efficiency, the Board has delegated some 
of its powers to Board Committees and other powers 
to the CEO. The CEO’s employment contract is not 
for a specific term. The day‑to‑day leadership and 
management of the Company is undertaken by the 
CEO and senior management.

The CEO is responsible for: 

•   formulating the vision for the Company; 

•   recommending policy for, and the strategic direction 
of, the Company subject to approval by the Board; 

Indemnities and insurance 

•   providing management of the day to day operations 

In accordance with Section 162 of the Companies Act 
1993 and the Company’s Constitution, the Company 
indemnifies the Directors in relation to potential 
liabilities and costs they may incur for acts or omissions 
in their capacity as Directors. The Directors’ and Officers’ 
Liability insurance covers risks normally covered by such 
policies arising out of acts or omissions of Directors 
and employees in their capacity as such. In addition, the 
Company acquired prospectus insurance for its initial 
public offering. Details are recorded in the interests 
register as required by the Companies Act 1993. 

Board meetings 

In the period from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 
the Board has met formally 12 times. At each scheduled 
meeting the Board considers key financial and 
operational information as well as matters of strategic 
importance. Directors who are not members of the 
Board Committees may still attend the Committees’ 
meetings. Please see below for further information 
on the Board Committees.

Company subsidiaries 

The Company has four wholly owned subsidiaries, 
Vista Entertainment Solutions Limited (VESL), Virtual 
Concepts Limited (VCL), Flicks Limited (Flicks) and 
movieXchange International Limited (MX). VESL 
has three wholly owned subsidiaries consisting of 
Vista Entertainment Solutions (USA), Inc., Vista 
Entertainment Solutions (UK) Limited (VUK) and Vista 
Entertainment Solutions (Canada) Limited. VCL has 
one wholly owned subsidiary Movio Ltd and Movio 

of the Company; and 

•   acting as the spokesperson for the Company. 

The terms of the delegation by the Board to the CEO 
are documented in the Code and more clearly set out 
in the Company’s Delegated Authority Manual. This 
manual also establishes the authority levels for decision‑
making within the Company’s management team. 

The CEO has also formally delegated decision making to 
senior management within their areas of responsibility, 
subject to quantitative limits to ensure consistent and 
efficient decision making across the Company. 

Board Committees 

The Board has established and adopted charters for two 
Committees: the Audit and Risk Management Committee 
and the Nominations and Remuneration Committee. 

The membership of each Committee at 31 December 
2018 was:

•   Audit and Risk Management Committee – Susan 
Peterson (Chair), James Ogden and Cris Nicolli.

•   Nominations and Remuneration Committee – James 

Ogden (Chair), Susan Peterson, and Cris Nicolli.

Recommendation 2.2 – Every issuer should have a 
procedure for the nomination and appointment of 
directors to the board. 

Nomination and appointment 

The procedures for the appointment and removal 
of Directors are ultimately governed by the 
Company’s Constitution. As mentioned above 

76
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

in Recommendation 2.1, the Board has established a 
Nominations and Remuneration Committee governed 
by the NRC Charter. A copy of the NRC Charter 
is included in the Code, which is available on the 
Company’s website. The primary objectives of the 
Nominations and Remuneration Committee in relation 
to the nomination and appointment of Directors are: 

•   to ensure that a formal and transparent method for 
the nomination and appointment of Directors exists; 

•   to recommend Director appointments to the Board; 

and 

•   to regularly review the composition of the Board 

to ensure the appropriate composition of Directors 
is maintained.

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee does 
this by: 

•   making recommendations to the Board as to its size; 

•   reviewing the composition of the Board to ensure 

the most appropriate balance of skills, qualifications 
and experience; 

•   reviewing Board succession plans to maintain 

an appropriate balance of skills, experience and 
expertise on the Board; 

•   reviewing criteria for determining suitability of 

potential Directors in terms of maintaining a balance 
of relevant skills between Board members to ensure 
the Board can meet the Company’s objectives; 

•   identifying and maintaining a list of suitably qualified 
people who could be approached for future Board 
positions; 

•   ensuring there is an appropriate induction 

programme in place for all new Directors; and

•   making recommendations to the Board about the 

appointment and re‑election of Directors.

When recommending to the Board suitable candidates 
for appointment as Directors, the Nominations and 
Remuneration Committee will consider, among 
other things: 

•   the candidate’s experience as a Director;

•   the candidate’s skills, expertise and competencies; and

•   the extent to which those skills complement the 

skills of existing Directors. 

Retirement and re-election

The Board acknowledges and observes the relevant 
Director rotation/retirement rules under the Listing Rules.

Two Directors (Murray Holdaway and Susan Peterson) 
retired by rotation and were re‑elected at the Annual 
Shareholders Meeting in May 2018.

Composition of the Board

At 31 December 2018, the Board comprised six Directors, 
as follows:

–  Kirk Senior

–  James Ogden 

–  Susan Peterson

–  Murray Holdaway

–  Brian Cadzow

–  Cris Nicolli

The Board has a broad range of IT, film industry, 
financial, sales, business and other skills and expertise 
necessary to meet its objectives. The Company’s 
Constitution currently requires a minimum of three 
Directors and a maximum of eight. 

The Board considers that it has an appropriate mix 
of skills, experience and independence to ensure that 
the Company is governed in a manner that guarantees 
that the interests of all shareholders are represented 
and protected. The Board is also confident that 
proper processes are in place to address the needs 
and expectations of stakeholders with respect to 
independence in decision‑making and the management 
of any conflicts of interest. 

Recommendation 2.3 – An issuer should enter into 
written agreements with each newly appointed 
director establishing the terms of their appointment.

New Directors are required to consent to act as a 
Director and receive a formal letter of appointment 
which sets out their duties, responsibilities, rights and 
remuneration entitlements.

Each senior executive is employed under an individual 
employment agreement which sets out the terms 
on which the senior executive is employed including 
details of the executive’s duties, responsibilities, rights 
and remuneration entitlements. The employment 
agreement also sets out the circumstances in which 
employment may be terminated by either the 
Company or the executive.

Recommendation 2.4 – Every issuer should disclose 
information about each director in its annual report or 
on its website, including a profile of experience, length 
of service, independence and ownership interests. 

Information about each Director including a profile 
of experience and independence is available on the 
Company’s website. The skills and experience of each 
Director are set out on page 87 in the ‘Disclosures’ 
section of this Annual Report.

77
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Director independence 

Diversity and Inclusion Policy 

The Code requires that a minimum of two Directors 
be ‘independent’. The Board takes into account the 
guidance provided under the Listing Rules and the ASX 
Recommendations, in determining the independence 
of Directors. Under those rules and recommendations, 
Directors are considered to be independent if they 
are non‑executive and do not have an interest or 
relationship that could or could be perceived to 
unreasonably influence their decisions relating to the 
Company or interfere with their ability to act in the 
Company’s best interests. The Board will review any 
determination it makes as to a Director’s independence 
on becoming aware of any information that may have 
an impact on the independence of the Director. For 
this purpose, Directors are required to ensure that they 
immediately advise the Board of any relevant new or 
changed relationships to enable the Board to consider 
and determine the materiality of the relationships. 

As at 31 December 2018, the Board considers that 
James Ogden, Susan Peterson and Cris Nicolli are 
Independent Directors. As at 31 December 2018, the 
Board determines that Murray Holdaway, Brian Cadzow 
and Kirk Senior are not Independent Directors because 
of their executive responsibilities and respective 
substantial shareholdings. 

The Company values and respects the contributions, 
ideas and experiences of people from all backgrounds 
and is proud to have a diverse company with staff 
from all around the world. The Company has a formal 
Diversity and Inclusion Policy, a copy of which is 
available on the Company’s website. The Diversity and 
Inclusion Policy sets out the Company’s commitment 
to achieving diversity in the attributes and experiences 
of the Board, management and staff across a broad 
range of criteria including gender, background, and 
education (amongst others). 

The Company set the following diversity objectives 
for the 2018 financial year, to: 

(a) 

 continue to strive to ensure strong female 
candidates are identified in the recruitment 
process for all roles;

   Progress made: No Board appointments were made 
in 2018. While female candidates were sourced 
and reached the shortlist for the Maccs CEO, Vista 
Cinema CEO and General Counsel roles, it was 
ultimately decided that the best possible candidate 
in each case was male. Increasing the diversity of 
the senior leadership team continues to be an area 
of focus for the Group CEO and the Board. 

Length of Service of Directors

DIRECTOR

APPOINTED

LENGTH OF SERVICE  
TO 31 DEC 2018

(b) 

 review and encourage participation of 
underrepresented groups in our leadership 
training programmes; 

Murray Holdaway 6 August 2003

15 years, 5 months

Brian Cadzow

6 August 2003

15 years, 5 months

Kirk Senior

3 June 2014

4 years, 7 months

Susan Peterson

3 June 2014

4 years, 7 months

James Ogden

3 June 2014

4 years, 7 months

Cris Nicolli

17 February 2017 1 year, 11 months

Ownership interests 

The table of Directors’ shareholdings is included in  
the Disclosures section of this Annual Report set out 
on page 89. 

Recommendation 2.5 – An issuer should have a 
written Diversity and Inclusion Policy which includes 
requirements for the board or a relevant committee of 
the board to set measurable objectives for achieving 
diversity (which, at a minimum, should address gender 
diversity) and to assess annually both the objectives 
and the entity’s progress in achieving them. The issuer 
should disclose the policy or a summary of it.

 Progress made: 40% of attendees in management 
training in 2018 were female. This exceeds the 
general population percentage and underlines 
our continued focus on developing female 
leaders. We do not currently maintain records 
of identification with other underrepresented 
groups however we have made every attempt 
to ensure there is participation from people from 
a wide range of ethnicities and ages and also 
representation from the Rainbow community.

(c) 

 complete a review of our gender pay equality 
across roles, age and salary bands for VESL 
offices in Auckland, Los Angeles and London;

 Progress made: This was completed in April 2018. 
We were pleased to confirm that there was no 
material difference in pay for staff in the same 
role based on gender. 

(d) 

 achieve rainbow tick accreditation for VESL – 
Auckland.

 Progress made: Vista Group was proud to achieve 
the Rainbow Tick status based on the review 
of 2018. The scope was extended beyond VESL 
Auckland to include all New Zealand staff of 
Vista Group, including Movio. 

78
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(e) 

 review the Company’s recruitment processes and 
practices to ensure they are free from bias;

 Progress made: Analysis was completed of the 
recruitment lifecycle to ensure that there was 
no particular step that had a disproportionate 
elimination of female applicants. Textio 
assessments were completed on job ad 
wordings to ensure there was no unconscious 
bias or wording that would detract from female 
applicants applying for roles in Vista Group.

Gender Diversity Statistics

Recommendation 2.6 – Directors should undertake 
appropriate training to remain current on how to best 
perform their duties as directors of an issuer.

All Directors are responsible for ensuring they remain 
current in understanding their duties as Directors. 
To ensure ongoing education, Directors are regularly 
informed of developments that affect the Company’s 
industry and business environment, as well as 
company and legal issues that impact the Directors 
themselves. Directors have access to management 
and any additional information they consider necessary 
for informed decision making.

MALE

FEMALE

NO.

%

NO.

%

TOTAL

Board access to information and advice 

AS AT  
31 DECEMBER 2018

Board

Senior Executive*

5

9

83.3%

90.0%

1

1

16.7%

10.0%

6

10

Total Company

541

76.2% 169

23.8%

710

AS AT  
31 DECEMBER 2017

Board

Senior Executive*

MALE

FEMALE

NO.

%

NO.

%

TOTAL

5

9

83.3%

90.0%

1

1

16.7%

10.0%

6

10

Total Company

449

73.7% 160

26.3%

609

*  For the purposes of this annual report ‘Senior Executive’ means the 

senior executive team constituted in accordance with the Code, 
and who report directly to the CEO. The senior executive team are 
‘officers’ for the purposes of the Listing Rules but exclude Executive 
Directors as they are captured in the ‘Board’ line.

The Company has set the following objectives for the 
2019 financial year, to: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

 Review inclusion practices globally to ensure all 
staff feel safe and have the ability to bring their 
whole self to work; 

 Ensure the succession plan for all senior executive 
roles include at least one qualified female 
potential successor;

 Continue to strive to ensure strong female 
candidates are identified in the recruitment 
process for all roles;

 Review and encourage participation of 
underrepresented groups in our leadership 
training programmes; 

 Complete a review of our gender pay equality 
across roles, age and salary bands for Vista 
Entertainment offices in Auckland, Los Angeles 
and London.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO), supported by the 
internal legal team, is responsible for supporting the 
effectiveness of the Board by ensuring that policies 
and procedures are followed and co‑ordinating 
the completion and dispatch of the Board agendas 
and papers. All Directors have access to the senior 
management team, including the CFO and the internal 
legal team, to discuss issues or obtain information on 
specific areas in relation to items to be considered 
at Board meetings or other areas as they consider 
appropriate. Further, Directors have unrestricted access 
to the Company’s records and information.

The Board, the Board Committees and each Director 
have the right, subject to the approval of the Chair of 
the Board, to seek independent professional advice 
at the Company’s expense to assist them to carry 
out their responsibilities as a Director or Committee 
member. Further, the Board and Board Committee 
members have the authority to invite external advisors 
with relevant experience and expertise to attend Board 
or Board Committee meetings. 

Recommendation 2.7 – The board should have a 
procedure to regularly assess director, board and 
committee performance.

Performance evaluation of the Board, 
its Committees and individual Directors 

The Chair of the Board must ensure that rigorous, 
formal processes for evaluating the performance of 
the Board, Board Committees and individual Directors 
are in place and the Chair must lead such processes. 
As part of that evaluation process the Board must 
establish performance criteria for itself and review its 
performance against those criteria (at least) annually. 
The Board must also review its relationship with 
management annually. As part of the review process, 
the Board will use, evaluate, and where necessary, 
action the results of a Board performance questionnaire. 

79
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
Further, the Board Committees undertake an annual 
self‑review of their objectives and responsibilities. In 
addition, those objectives and responsibilities are also 
reviewed by the Board and CEO against the relevant 
Board Committee charter. 

A survey and review was undertaken in November 
2018 and the results reported to the Board at the 
January 2019 meeting. Recommendations from 
the results of the review will be considered and 
implemented by the Board.

Performance evaluation of senior executives

The Board is responsible for constantly monitoring 
the performance of the CEO against the Board’s 
requirements. 

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee 
is responsible for evaluating the performance of the 
CEO and oversees the CEO’s evaluation of senior 
management that report directly to the CEO. The 
functions of the Committee are set out in the NRC 
Charter. A copy of the NRC Charter is included in the 
Code, which is available on the Company’s website. 

Recommendation 2.8 – The Chair and the CEO should 
be different people.

The Chair of the Board is elected by the Directors. The 
Board supports the separation of the role of Chair (Kirk 
Senior) and CEO (Kimbal Riley) in accordance with the 
requirements of the NZX Recommendations and the 
ASX Recommendations. The Chair of the Board’s role 
is set out in the Code and includes: 

•  to manage the Board effectively; 

•  to provide leadership to the Board; and 

•  to facilitate the Board’s interface with the CEO. 

The NZX Recommendations encourages issuers to 
consider having an independent chair, and the ASX 
Recommendations require that the Chair of the 
Board is an independent Director. While, Mr Senior 
is not considered to be an Independent Director, 
he is considered by the Directors to be the most 
appropriate Director to act as Chair because of the 
depth of his leadership and operational experience 
and considerable professional network across the 
international film industry. The Board is confident  
that Mr Senior is capable of exercising independent 
views and judgement in exercising his role as Chair.

PRINCIPLE 3 – BOARD COMMITTEES

The board should use committees where this will 
enhance its effectiveness in key areas, while still 
retaining board responsibility.

Recommendation 3.1 – An issuer’s audit committee 
should operate under a written charter. Membership on 
the audit committee should be majority independent 
and comprise solely of non-executive directors of the 
issuer. The chair of the audit committee should not 
also be the chair of the board.

Audit and Risk Management Committee 

The Board has an Audit and Risk Management 
Committee whose primary objective is to assist 
the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities, by: 

•   ensuring the quality and independence of the 

Company’s external audit process; 

•   overseeing (among other things): 

  –   the integrity of external financial reporting, 

  –   application of accounting policies, 

  –   financial management, and 

  –   the risk management framework and monitoring 

compliance with that framework; 

•   providing a formal forum for communication 

between the Board and senior financial management; 

•   regularly reviewing the Company’s internal controls 

and systems; 

•   undertaking an annual self‑review of the Committee’s  

objectives; 

•   regularly reporting to the Board on the operation of 

the Company’s risk management and internal control 
processes; and 

•   providing sufficient information to the Board to 

allow the Board to report annually to shareholders 
and stakeholders on risk identification and 
management procedures and relevant internal 
controls of the Company. 

Charter

The Company’s Audit and Risk Management Committee 
operates under a written charter. A copy of the Charter 
is included in the Code, which is available on the 
Company’s website. 

Composition of the Audit and Risk Management 
Committee

All of the Committee members are non‑executive and 
Independent Directors. The Audit and Risk Management 
Committee is chaired by Susan Peterson who is an 
Independent Director and not Chair of the Board.

80
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

The current members of the Audit and Risk 
Management Committee are Susan Peterson (Chair), 
James Ogden and Cris Nicolli. 

Recommendation 3.2 – Employees should only attend 
audit committee meetings at the invitation of the 
audit committee.

The ARC Charter provides that employees and 
Directors who are not members of the Audit and 
Risk Management Committee can only attend Audit 
and Risk Management Committee meetings at the 
invitation of the Committee.

Recommendation 3.3 – An issuer should have a 
remuneration committee which operates under a written 
charter (unless this is carried out by the whole board). 
At least a majority of the remuneration committee 
should be independent directors. Management should 
only attend remuneration committee meetings at the 
invitation of the remuneration committee.

Nominations and Remuneration Committee 

In addition to the objectives mentioned in 
Recommendation 2.2, further primary objectives 
of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee 
are to ensure that a formal and transparent method 
of recommending Director remuneration packages 
exists, and to assist the Board in the establishment 
of remuneration policies and practices. This includes 
setting and reviewing the remuneration of the CEO, 
senior executives and Directors (both executive 
and non‑executive). The Committee is also required 
to regularly review and recommend changes to 
Director remuneration to ensure such remuneration 
is appropriate and effectively managed. 

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee may 
invite such members of management and any other 
persons, including external advisers, as the Committee 
considers necessary to provide information and 
advice. All Directors are entitled to attend meetings 
of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee by 
standing invitation provided that executive Directors 
shall not be entitled to attend meetings where they 
are conflicted for personal reasons. 

A copy of the NRC Charter is included in the Code, 
which is available on the Company’s website. 

Composition of the Nominations and 
Remuneration Committee

The current members of the Nominations and 
Remuneration Committee are James Ogden 
(Chair), Susan Peterson, and Cris Nicolli. The 
members of the Committee, including the Chair, 
are Independent Directors.

Recommendation 3.4 – An issuer should establish 
a nomination committee to recommend director 
appointments to the board (unless this is carried out 
by the whole board), which should operate under 
a written charter. At least a majority of the nomination 
committee should be independent directors.

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee 
recommends director appointments to the Board. 
A single committee covering nominations and 
remuneration has been established to match the 
structure and operations within the Company and 
to enable more efficient use of Director resources. 
A copy of the NRC Charter is included in the Code, 
which is available on the Company’s website. Further 
information as to the primary objectives and processes 
of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee 
in relation to the nomination and appointment 
of Directors are contained on pages 75 and 76 
in relation to Recommendation 2.2. The composition 
of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee is 
described above in relation to Recommendation 3.3.

Recommendation 3.5 – An issuer should consider 
whether it is appropriate to have any other board 
committees as standing board committees. All 
committees should operate under written charters. 
An issuer should identify the members of each of its 
committees, and periodically report member attendance.

The Board has established a Disclosure Committee 
in accordance with the Continuous Disclosure Policy 
(Disclosure Committee). The Disclosure Committee 
determines whether certain information is material and 
whether it should be released in accordance with such 
Policy and the Company’s obligations under the Listing 
Rules. The Disclosure Committee is made up of the Chair 
of the Board, the Chair of the Audit and Risk Management 
Committee and one other Independent Director.

Other Committees may be established from time to time.

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee held 
six formal meetings during the financial year ended 
31 December 2018 with other matters, particularly 
the approval of grants under the long term incentive 
plan for employees dealt with by the full Board in this 
period. The Audit and Risk Management Committee 
met four times during the year. The auditors, 
PricewaterhouseCoopers, attended all of the Audit and 
Risk Management Committee meetings. The meetings 
of both committees were attended by all members.

Recommendation 3.6 – The board should establish 
appropriate protocols that set out the procedure 
to be followed if there is a takeover offer for the 
issuer including any communication between 
insiders and the bidder. It should disclose the scope 
of independent advisory reports to shareholders. 

81
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

These protocols should include the option of 
establishing an independent takeover committee, 
and the likely composition and implementation 
of an independent takeover committee.

The Company has considered its position in relation to 
actions required in the event of a takeover offer for the 
Company. The Company has established relationships 
with appropriate legal and equity market advisors 
to support the Company through any offer process. 
The Company has considered the establishment of 
a response team to manage any process and ensure 
that all obligations under the Listing Rules and other 
regulatory frameworks are met.

The Continuous Disclosure Policy has been 
communicated internally to ensure that it is strictly 
adhered to by the Board and the Company’s employees. 
Information on the Disclosure Committee is set out in 
Recommendation 3.5 above.

Recommendation 4.2 – An issuer should make its code 
of ethics, board and committee charters and the policies 
recommended in the NZX Code, together with any other 
key governance documents, available on its website.

As mentioned on page 74, the Investor Centre section 
of the Company’s website (www.vistagroup.co.nz) 
includes copies of the following corporate governance 
documents:

PRINCIPLE 4 – REPORTING & DISCLOSURE

•   Constitution 

The board should demand integrity in financial and 
non financial reporting, and in the timeliness and 
balance of corporate disclosures.

•   Corporate Governance Code and Appendices 

(referred to in this corporate governance statement 
as the Code), including:

  –   Code of Ethics

Recommendation 4.1 – An issuer’s board should have 
a written continuous disclosure policy.

  –   Securities Trading Policy and Guidelines

  –   Shareholder Participation

The Company is subject to the disclosure requirements 
of the laws in New Zealand and Australia and is required 
to comply with the Listing Rules. The Company changed 
its ASX listing category from a Standard Listing to 
an ASX Foreign Exempt Listing effective from the 
commencement of trading on 27 October 2015. As an 
ASX Foreign Exempt Listing, the Company is required 
to immediately provide ASX with all of the information 
that it provides to NZX that is, or is to be, made public.

The Company is committed to notifying the market 
through full and fair disclosure to the NZX and ASX 
of any material information related to its business 
that is required to be disclosed by the Listing 
Rules. The Company is mindful of the need to keep 
stakeholders informed through a timely, clear and 
balanced approach which communicates both positive 
and negative news. These notifications are available 
on the Company’s website. 

The Company is also required to comply with the 
periodic disclosure requirements under the Listing Rules. 

The Company has adopted a Continuous Disclosure 
Policy which establishes procedures that are aimed 
at ensuring that the Directors and all employees of 
the Company are aware of and fulfil their disclosure 
obligations under the Listing Rules. A copy of the 
Company’s Continuous Disclosure Policy is available 
on the Company’s website. 

  –   ARC Charter

  –   NRC Charter

•  Diversity and Inclusion Policy

•  Continuous Disclosure Policy

•  Risk and Compliance Framework Summary 

Recommendation 4.3 – Financial reporting should 
be balanced, clear and objective. An issuer should 
provide non-financial disclosure at least annually, 
including considering material exposure to 
environmental, economic and social sustainability  
risks and other key risks. It should explain how it  
plans to manage those risks and how operational  
or non-financial targets are measured.

The Company provides financial reports and associated 
investor presentations which are balanced and provide 
an objective view on the performance of the Company. 

The Company considers that it is not appropriate 
to adopt a formal ESG (Environmental, Social and 
Governance) framework at this time as it is only in the 
early stages of reporting on non‑financial information. 
The Company does intend to increase future disclosure in 
the area. The Company has established a risk framework 
focussed on strategic issues within the business which 
is regularly updated and reviewed by the Audit and Risk 
Management Committee along with a health and safety 
reporting process to ensure non‑financial measures 
important to the business are an integral part of the 
operational management of the Company.

82
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

PRINCIPLE 5 – REMUNERATION

The remuneration of directors and executives should 
be transparent, fair and reasonable.

Recommendation 5.1 – An issuer should recommend 
director remuneration to shareholders for approval 
in a transparent manner. Actual director remuneration 
should be clearly disclosed in the issuer’s annual report.

Shareholders have approved the Directors’ fees in 
aggregate for all Directors at $500,000 per annum for 
the non‑executive Directors. The actual amount of fees 
paid in the past year was $260,000.

Full disclosure of Directors’ remuneration is set out 
at page 89.

The Chair of the Board is remunerated through the 
executive remuneration structure. The Independent 
Directors receive $85,000 per annum each (a Chair of 
a committee of the Board receives additional fees). The 
executive Directors, including the Chair of the Board 
receive remuneration from the Company and do not 
receive Directors’ fees. Directors are also entitled to 
be paid for reasonable travel, accommodation and 
other expenses incurred by them in connection with 
their attendance at Board or shareholder meetings, or 
otherwise in connection with the Company’s business. 

Recommendation 5.2 – An issuer should have a 
remuneration policy for remuneration of directors 
and officers, which outlines the relative weightings 
of remuneration components and relevant 
performance criteria.

The Board recognises it is desirable that executive 
(including executive Directors) remuneration should 
include an element dependent upon the performance 
of both the Company and the individual, and should 
be clearly differentiated from non‑executive Director 
remuneration.

Following the adoption of a long term incentive plan 
(LTI Plan) in 2015, executive remuneration currently 
comprises three components: fixed remuneration, short 
term performance incentives (STI) and a long term 
performance incentive. This is to ensure appropriate 
weighting of incentives between short and longer‑term 
performance, and to align executive packages with 
longer‑term shareholder value.

Fixed remuneration

Fixed remuneration consists of base salary and benefits.

Short term performance incentives 

The short term performance incentive will be an annual 
risk performance bonus which is either a specific 
percentage of each executive’s base salary or a set 
value. The weightings of the STI in relation to fixed 

remuneration range from 15% to 60%. The STI is based 
on financial performance measures (revenue and 
earnings) of the Company and the business unit the 
relevant executive manages (75% to 90%) and strategic 
personal goals (10% to 25%). The executives’ right to 
short term performance incentives is conditional on the 
performance of the individual and the Company and 
will be assessed annually by the Board. 

Executive Long-Term Incentive plan 

The Company established a long term incentive plan for 
executives, senior managers and staff in 2015. The LTI 
Plan aims to align the interests of key staff with those of 
shareholders, by providing a proportion of remuneration 
on an ‘at‑risk’ basis aligned to the achievement of 
defined performance targets. Grants have been made 
in 2015 with a commencement date of 1 January 2015, 
in 2016 with a commencement date of 1 January 2016, 
in 2017 with a commencement date of 1 January 2017, 
in 2018 along with the base LTI scheme two additional 
schemes were established, one for the new Vista Group 
CEO and one for specific operating segment staff. 
These all had a commencement date of 1 January 2018. 
Tranche 1 of the 2015 grants vested on 1 April 2017 and 
101,671 shares were issued (equates to 203,342 post 
share split) representing a 100% vesting rate. Tranche 
2 of the 2015 grant vested on 1 April 2018 and 138,436 
shares were issued representing a 76% vesting rate. For 
tranche 1 of the 2016 grant on the vesting date of 1 April 
2018 no shares were issued as the vesting hurdle was 
not met. Under the LTI plan these shares were carried 
over to the tranche 2 vesting date of 1 April 2019. Under 
the Vista Group CEO LTI plan 200,000 shares were 
vested in April 2018. The next vesting date is 1 April 
2019 for tranche 2 of the 2016 grants and tranche 1 of 
the 2017 grants and 30 April 2019 for tranche 2 of the 
Vista Group CEO grant

The Company’s remuneration policy is set out in the 
Code, which is available on the Company’s website.

Recommendation 5.3 – An issuer should disclose 
the remuneration arrangements in place for the CEO 
in its annual report. This should include disclosure 
of the base salary, short term incentives and long 
term incentives and the performance criteria used 
to determine performance based payments.

The Vista Group CEO was promoted to this role during 
2018 from another role within the Company. The 
remuneration shown below reflects a combination of 
his salary from both roles during 2018. The STI incentive 
payments received in 2018 reflect performance against 
the incentive scheme in place from his previous role.

The previous Vista Group CEO was one of the founder’s 
of the Company and so the changes in 2018 to the 
remuneration of the Vista Group CEO reflect a market 
related package for this position.

83
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

The elements of the current CEO’s remuneration are 
set out below:

FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Remuneration

Salary & fees

Taxable benefits 1

Subtotal

Pay for performance

STI 2

LTI 3

Subtotal

Total remuneration

370,314

21,515

391,829

56,038

632,863

688,901

1,080,730

1. 

2. 

3. 

 Taxable benefits relate to medical insurance coverage and 
employer kiwisaver contributions.

 STI for FY2017 performance paid in FY2018 when the CEO was 
in his previous role as CEO of Vista Entertainment Solutions Ltd.

 The CEO received 200,000 shares in April of 2018 as part of 
the CEO LTI incentive scheme and 11,737 shares from the partial 
vesting of the second tranche of the 2015 LTI grant.

DESCRIPTION OF CEO REMUNERATION FOR PERFORMANCE 
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

PLAN DESCRIPTION

PERFORMANCE 
MEASURES

PERFORMANCE  
AWARDED  
AGAINST PLAN

STI Set at 30% 

for at risk 
pay.

96%

112%

94%

35% weighting of Vista Group 
EBITDA vs budget. Threshold 
to achieve is 90% with pro‑rata 
payment through to 100%. Over‑
achievement to 120% is possible.

25% weighting of Vista Group 
Revenue vs budget. Threshold 
to achieve is 95% with pro‑rata 
payment through to 100%. Over‑
achievement to 120% is possible.

15% weighting of Vista Group 
Profit Before Tax vs Budget. 
Threshold to achieve is 90% 
with pro‑rata payment through 
to 100%. Over‑achievement to 
120% is possible.

25% weighting of strategic 
goals set by the Board.

100%

LTI  The CEO received an allocation of 43,290 

shares in the Company under the 2018 grant for 
Executive LTI Plan.

COMPONENTS OF CEO REMUNERATION

s
r
a

l
l

o
d
n
o
i
t
a
r
e
n
u
m
e
R

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

Base Only

At Target 
Remuneration

Maximum

Fixed Base

Variable Remuneration

PRINCIPLE 6 – RISK MANAGEMENT

Directors should have a sound understanding of the 
material risks faced by the issuer and how to manage 
them. The Board should regularly verify that the issuer 
has appropriate processes that identify and manage 
potential and material risks.

Recommendation 6.1 – An issuer should have a risk 
management framework for its business and the issuer’s 
board should receive and review regular reports. 
A framework should also be put in place to manage 
any existing risks and to report the material risks facing 
the business and how these are being managed.

Risk Framework

The identification and effective management of the 
Company’s risks are a priority of the Board. The CEO 
is accountable for all operational and compliance risk 
across all of the Company’s operations and businesses. 
The CFO and General Counsel have management 
accountability for the effective implementation of the 
Risk Framework (as defined below) across all of the 
Company’s businesses. 

The Company has in place an overarching Operating 
Risk and Compliance Framework (Risk Framework), 
supported by operating risk and compliance policies 
that aim to ensure that the Company, its Directors 
and employees will comply with relevant regulatory 
requirements such as New Zealand and Australian laws, 
Listing Rules, ASX listing rules applicable to an ASX 
Foreign Exempt Listing and relevant codes of practice. 

The purpose of the Risk Framework is to ensure a 
consistent approach to operating and compliance risk 
across all the Company’s businesses in all geographies 
where the Company operates. The Risk Framework 
sets out the specific areas for which the CEO and 
CFO are accountable. 

As discussed above, the Board has established 
an Audit and Risk Management Committee whose 
primary objective is to assist the Board in fulfilling 

84
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

 
its responsibilities. The Audit and Risk Management 
Committee’s responsibilities are set out in 
Recommendation 3.1 above.

Review of Risk Framework

In addition to the Risk Framework, the Code provides 
that the Audit and Risk Management Committee will 
regularly report to the Board on the operation of the 
Company’s risk management and internal control 
processes, and provide sufficient information to 
the Board to allow the Board to report annually to 
shareholders and stakeholders on risk identification, 
management procedures and relevant internal controls 
of the Company. In addition to reporting on the 
existing risk register during the financial year ended 
31 December 2018, the Company undertook a project 
with a risk consultant to update the risk register and 
prepare a new reporting framework for the Board. 
This project has been ongoing and will be completed 
by mid 2019 with the new report forming the basis of 
reporting in future periods. Senior management reports 
at each meeting on the established Risk Register, and 
updates to the Risk Register, for the Company.

Recommendation 6.2 – An issuer should disclose 
how it manages its health and safety risks and should 
report on their health and safety risks, performance 
and management.

The Company operates under a Health and Safety 
and Wellness Policy. A report is provided by senior 
management to the Audit and Risk Management 
Committee on performance against the policy, policy 
initiatives and incident reporting.

PRINCIPLE 7 – AUDITORS

The board should ensure the quality and independence 
of the external audit process.

Recommendation 7.1 – The board should establish 
a framework for the issuer’s relationship with its 
external auditors. This should include procedures:

(a) 

 for sustaining communication with the issuer’s 
external auditors;

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

 to ensure that the ability of the external auditors to 
carry out their statutory audit role is not impaired, 
or could reasonably be perceived to be impaired;

 to address what, if any, services (whether by type 
or level) other than their statutory audit roles may 
be provided by the auditors to the issuer; and

 to provide for the monitoring and approval by the 
issuer’s audit committee of any service provided 
by the external auditors to the issuer other than 
in their statutory audit role.

The Board’s framework for the Company’s relationship 
with its external auditors is in the External Audit 
Policy set out in the Code, which is available on the 
Company’s website. The External Audit Policy covers 
matters relating to the appointment of auditors, the 
independence of auditors, transparent dialogue with 
auditors, rotation of the audit leader, reporting on 
audit fees and non‑audit work. 

The Audit and Risk Management Committee assists the 
Board in fulfilling its responsibility to ensure the quality 
and independence of the Company’s external audit 
process. Pursuant to the ARC Charter, the Board has 
delegated the Audit and Risk Management Committee 
the responsibility to monitor all aspects of the external 
audit of the Company’s affairs including:

•   considering the appointment of auditors, audit fees 

and any issues on an auditor’s resignation or dismissal;

•   discussing with auditors, before the commencement 
of each audit, the nature and scope of their audit;

•   reviewing auditors’ service delivery plan;

•   reviewing the Company’s letter of representation 

to auditors; and

•   discussing with auditors any problems, reservations, 
or issues arising from the audit and referring matters 
of a material or serious nature to the Board.

Recommendation 7.2 – The external auditor should 
attend the issuer’s Annual Meeting to answer questions 
from shareholders in relation to the audit.

The external auditor attends the annual shareholders 
meeting. Shareholders are given a reasonable 
opportunity at the meeting to ask the auditor 
questions relevant to the conduct of the audit, the 
audit report, the Company’s accounting policies and 
the independence of the auditor.

Recommendation 7.3 – Internal audit functions should 
be disclosed.

While the Company does not have an internal audit 
function, the Company fosters a culture of excellence 
in all areas of risk management and takes all operating 
and compliance risk obligations seriously.

The CEO is accountable for all operational and 
compliance risks across all of the Company’s 
operations and businesses. The CFO is accountable 
for the effective implementation of the Risk Framework 
across all of the Company’s businesses.

All individual employees of the Company are 
accountable for their personal compliance with the 
Risk Framework and supporting policies. At the time 
of employment, all new staff are required to confirm 
that they have read and are aware of the Company’s 
policies. On an annual basis, all staff are required to 
re‑confirm awareness of and adherence to policies.

85
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

PRINCIPLE 8 – SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS 
& RELATIONS

The board should respect the rights of shareholders 
and foster constructive relationships with shareholders 
that encourage them to engage with the issuer.

Recommendation 8.1 – An issuer should have a website 
where investors and interested stakeholders can 
access financial and operational information and key 
corporate governance information about the issuer.

The Investor Centre section of the Company’s 
website, www.vistagroup.co.nz, provides information 
to shareholders and investors about the Company. 
The website includes copies of past annual reports,  
results announcements, media releases and general  
company information. It also includes copies of relevant 
policies and of the corporate governance documents 
in the Code, referred to in Recommendation 4.2.

Recommendation 8.2 – An issuer should allow 
investors the ability to easily communicate with 
the issuer, including providing the option to receive 
communications from the issuer electronically.

Although the Company does not have a formal 
shareholder communications policy, it does take 
appropriate steps to keep shareholders informed 
about its activities and to listen to issues or concerns 
raised by shareholders.

Fundamental to the Company’s provision of information 
to shareholders is the management of its continuous 
disclosure obligations which ensures all shareholders 
have access to important Company information. 
In addition to lodging this Company information with 
the NZX and the ASX, the Company uses its website 
to make available to shareholders information about 
the Company and its activities.

Shareholders have the option of electing to receive 
all shareholder communications, including dividend 
statements, by email. Shareholders are advised that the 
Annual Report is available on the Company’s website 
in accordance with the requirements of the Companies 
Act 1993, the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 
and associated regulations. The Company provides a 
printed copy of the Annual Report only to shareholders 
who have specifically elected to receive a printed copy.

All announcements made to the NZX and the ASX 
are available to shareholders by email notification 
where a shareholder has provided the Company’s 
Share Registry with an email address, and elects 
to be notified of all such announcements.

The Company’s Share Register is managed and 
maintained by Link Market Services Limited. Shareholders 
can access their shareholding details or make enquiries 
about their current shareholding electronically by 
contacting Link Market Services Limited.

A section of the Code is dedicated to shareholder 
participation. This section of the Code is designed to: 

•   highlight the Board’s accountability to shareholders; 

•   encourage shareholders to use the annual general 
meeting to ask questions and make comments on 
the performance of the Company; 

•   highlight that the Board welcomes input from 

shareholders and encourages shareholders to submit 
questions in writing prior to the annual general 
meeting, so that an informed answer can be given 
at that meeting; and 

•   indicate that the Board will ensure that the Company’s 

external auditors are available for questioning by 
shareholders at the annual general meeting. 

Recommendation 8.3 – Shareholders should have the 
right to vote on major decisions which may change the 
nature of the company in which they are invested in.

The Company will comply with its obligations under 
the Companies Act 1993 to obtain shareholder approval 
under a special resolution for any major transactions. 
The Company will also comply with Listing Rule 
requirements to obtain shareholder approval for 
transactions, or a series of transactions, that would 
change the essential nature of the business. 

Recommendation 8.4 – Each person who invests 
money in a company should have one vote per share of 
the company they own equally with other shareholders.

On key resolutions (and particularly those where 
proxy votes are not conclusive) the Chair of the 
Board would demand a vote by poll to be taken 
at shareholder meetings. 

Recommendation 8.5 – The board should ensure that 
the annual shareholders notice of meeting is posted 
on the issuer’s website as soon as possible and at least 
28 days prior to the meeting.

Once the date of the annual shareholders meeting 
is confirmed, the Company notifies the market 
by providing disclosure to the NZX and ASX. 
This notification is available on the Company’s 
website. The Company provides notice of the annual 
shareholders meeting to shareholders in accordance 
with the requirements of the Companies Act 1993 and 
the Listing Rules. The notice is sent to shareholders, 
notified to the market by providing disclosure to the 
NZX and ASX and made available on the Company’s 
website at least 28 days prior to the date of the meeting. 

86
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

DISCLOSURES 

DIRECTORS 

The names of the Company’s Directors in office during the financial year and as at the date of this report are as follows: 

K Senior, BCom, CA (Executive Chair of the Board)

M Holdaway, BSc, BCom (Executive Director), re‑elected May 2018

B Cadzow, BCom, (Executive Director)

S Peterson, BCom, LLB (Independent Director), re‑elected May 2018

J Ogden, BCA Hons, FCA, CFInstD (Independent Director)

C Nicolli, BMBS, FAICD

Directors were in office for this entire period unless otherwise stated.

STOCK EXCHANGE LISTINGS

The Company’s ordinary shares are listed and quoted on the NZX and on the ASX.

On 27 October 2015, the Company changed its listing category on the ASX to an ASX Foreign Exempt Listing.

ENTRIES RECORDED IN THE INTERESTS REGISTER

The Company maintains an Interests Register in accordance with the Companies Act 1993 and the Financial 
Markets Conduct Act 2013 and associated regulations. The following are particulars of entries made in the Interests 
Register for the period 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018.

Directors’ interests, Directors’ disclosed interests, or cessations of interest, in the following entities pursuant 
to section 140 of the Companies Act 1993 during the year ended 31 December 2018.

NAME OF DIRECTOR

ENTITY

NATURE OF GENERAL DISCLOSURE

Murray Holdaway Invista Share Nominee Limited

Director and Shareholder

Holdaway and Geary Trust

Trustee

The Awhero Nui Trust

Lido Cinema Limited

Kaha Software Limited

Beneficial Shareholder

Beneficial Shareholder

Director and Beneficial Shareholder

Brian Cadzow

B&J Associates Consulting Limited

Director and Shareholder

Invista Share Nominee Limited

Director and Shareholder

B&J Cadzow Family Trust

A J Cadzow Trust

K A Cadzow Trust

Waiotahi Trust

Grandma’s Trust

Titirangi Golf Club Inc.

Trustee

Trustee

Trustee

Trustee

Trustee

Board member 
Vista has provided some limited sponsorship  
to the Titirangi Golf Club Inc.

Kaha Software Limited

Director and Beneficial Shareholder

Kirk Senior

Kirk Senior Pty Limited

Director and Shareholder

Senior Family Super Fund Pty Limited

Director and Shareholder

Kirk Senior Family Trust

Trustee

87
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

NAME OF DIRECTOR

ENTITY

NATURE OF GENERAL DISCLOSURE

James Ogden

Summerset Group Holdings Limited

Director

Pencarrow Private Equity Fund

Independent Member of the Investment 
Committee

Pencarrow Bridge Fund GP Limited  
(General Partner of the Pencarrow Bridge Fund)

Director

Crown Forest Rental Trust

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal 

Member

MMC Group Holdings Limited

Chairman (appointed 1 October 2017)

Foundation Life (NZ) Limited

Director (appointed 16 October 2017)

Susan Peterson

Trustpower Limited

Director – member ARC

Organic Initiative Limited

Director, Chairman and Shareholder

NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal 

Member

Peterson Mellsop Family Trust 

Trustee and Beneficiary

Property for Industry Limited

Director – member of the NRC & ARC

Xero Limited

ASB Bank Limited

Director – member of the NRC 
(appointed 22 February 2017)

Director (appointed 1 July 2017)

Cris Nicolli

Nicolli Holdings Pty Ltd (Family Investment)

Nicolli Family Superannuation Fund

Director

Trustee

Other Levels (ASX OLV)

Director – member of the NRC & ARC

Kadasig Aid & Development (Not for Profit Charity)

Treasurer

Empired Limited (ASX APD)

Director (appointed 22 October 2018)

Share dealings of Directors

Directors disclosed, pursuant to section 148 of the Companies Act 1993 and section 304 of the Financial Markets 
Conduct Act 2013, acquisitions and disposals of relevant interests in the Company shares during the year ended 
31 December 2018. 

DATE OF  
ACQUISITION  
OR DISPOSAL

NAME OF 
DIRECTOR

NO & CLASS OF  
SHARES ACQUIRED  

OR (DISPOSED) NATURE OF RELEVANT INTEREST

1 November 2018 Kirk Senior

(250,000) Director of Kirk Senior Pty Ltd

1 November 2018 James Ogden

120,000 Legal and beneficial owner

CONSIDERATION 
PAID OR 
RECEIVED

($937,500)

$450,000

1 November 2018 Brian J Cadzow

93,333 Beneficial as trustee of the B & J Cadzow Family Trust

$349,999

1 November 2018 Murray Holdaway

36,667 Beneficial as trustee of the Holdaway and Geary Trust

$137,501

88
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Shareholdings of Directors at 31 December 2018

EMPLOYEE REMUNERATION (NZD$)

STAFF  
NUMBERS

NAME OF DIRECTOR

DIRECTLY HELD

Murray Holdaway

Brian Cadzow

Kirk Senior

James Ogden

Susan Peterson

Cris Nicolli

HELD BY 
ASSOCIATED 
PERSONS

6,087,449

6,556,207

1,194,840

380,000

88,906

30,000

Remuneration of Directors

Details of the total remuneration of, and the value of 
other benefits received by, each Director of the Company 
during the financial year ended 31 December 2018 are 
as follows:

DIRECTOR

FEES

REMUNERATION

Murray Holdaway

Brian Cadzow

Kirk Senior

James Ogden

Susan Peterson

Cris Nicolli

‑

‑

‑

$364,479

$255,415

$441,464

$87,500

$87,500

$85,000

Employee remuneration

The following table shows the number of employees 
(including employees holding office as Directors of 
subsidiaries) whose remuneration and benefits for 
the year ended 31 December 2018 were within the 
specified bands above $100,000. The remuneration 
figures shown in the table include all monetary 
payments actually paid during the course of the year 
ended 31 December 2018. The table does not include 
amounts paid post 31 December 2018 that related to 
the year ended 31 December 2018, such as short‑term 
incentive scheme bonuses. The table below includes 
the remuneration of Murray Holdaway, Brian Cadzow 
and Kirk Senior. No Director of a subsidiary receives 
or retains any remuneration or other benefits from the 
Company for acting as such.

$100,000 

  ‑

 $110,000 

$110,001 

  ‑

 $120,000 

$120,001 

  ‑

 $130,000 

$130,001 

  ‑

 $140,000

$140,001 

  ‑

 $150,000

$150,001 

  ‑

 $160,000 

$160,001 

  ‑

$170,000

$170,000 

  ‑

 $180,000

$180,001 

  ‑

 $190,000 

$190,001 

  ‑

 $200,000

$200,001 

  ‑

$210,000

$210,001 

  ‑

$220,000

$220,001 

  ‑

 $230,000

$230,001 

  ‑

 $240,000

$240,001 

  ‑

 $250,000

$250,001 

  ‑

 $260,000

$260,001 

  ‑

$270,000

$270,001 

  ‑

$290,000

$290,001 

  ‑

 $310,000

$310,001 

  ‑

 $370,000

$370,001 

  ‑

 $420,000

$420,001 

  ‑

 $430,000

$430,001 

  ‑

 $440,000

$440,001 

  ‑

 $480,000

$480,001 

  ‑

 $500,000

$500,001 

  ‑

 $1,100,000

Total

33

36

21

16

10

13

6

4

5

3

3

5

4

1

2

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

174

Analysis of shareholdings at 28 February 2019

RANGE 

1 – 1,000

1,001 – 5,000

5,001 – 10,000

10,001 – 50,000

50,001 – 100,000

NUMBER OF 
HOLDERS

ISSUED  
CAPITAL

% OF  
SHARES  
ISSUED

564

852

333

297

35

54

342,716

0.21%

2,300,425

1.39%

2,520,362

1.52%

6,010,660

3.63%

2,561,348

1.55%

151,800,375

91.70%

2,135

165,535,886 100.00%

Greater than 100,000

89
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Twenty largest shareholders at 28 February 2019

RANK INVESTOR NAME

New Zealand Central Securities Depository Limited

J P Morgan Nominees Australia Limited

Brian John Cadzow & Julie Ann Cadzow & Peter Allen Lewis

Murray Lawrence Holdaway & Helen Rachel Geary & Stephen John Mcdonald

HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited

Bruce Alexander Wighton & Marianne Bachler & Peter John Clark

Weying NZ (Bvi) Limited

Investment Custodial Services Limited

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Gregory James Trounson & Donald Mackenzie Gibson & Kathryn Mary Lee Trounson

2,352,786

10

National Nominees Limited

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Citicorp Nominees Pty Limited

New Zealand Depository Nominee Limited

David Maxwell Smith & Lara Kelly Smith

Kirk Senior Pty Limited

Custodial Services Limited

FNZ Custodians Limited

Aust Executor Trustees Ltd

Custodial Services Limited

Bruce Alan Forbes

20

Sylvia Choi & Haohua Wang

NUMBER  
OF SHARES

PERCENTAGE 
HOLDING

83,138,824

50.22%

13,598,711

6,462,874

6,087,449

5,924,340

3,415,978

3,277,610

2,958,976

2,066,999

1,899,168

8.21%

3.90%

3.68%

3.58%

2.06%

1.98%

1.79%

1.42%

1.25%

1.15%

1,553,593

0.94%

1,229,914

1,194,840

1,180,431

1,166,010

1,085,240

964,919

850,000

777,296

0.74%

0.72%

0.71%

0.70%

0.66%

0.58%

0.51%

0.47%

141,185,958

85.29%

Substantial Product Holders

According to notices given under the Financial 
Markets Conduct Act 2013, the following persons 
were Substantial Product Holders in the Company at 
31 December 2018 in respect of the number of voting 
securities set opposite their names:

NAME OF SUBSTANTIAL PRODUCT HOLDER

Devon Funds Management Limited

Fidelity International

Harbour Asset Management

Fisher Funds Management Ltd

NUMBER  
OF SHARES

16,058,784

15,998,326

14,891,713

13,479,199

Options

Nil

Performance Rights

The Company issued a total of 411,860 performance 
rights under the LTI Plan in the 2015 grant to a 
number of employees. In April 2017 203,342 vested 
and 3,976 lapsed in the first tranche. In April 2018 

138,436 vested with 43,718 having lapsed. The 
Company issued 461,576 performance rights under the 
LTI Plan in the 2016 grant to a number of employees. 
In April 2018 230,788 were eligible to vest but with 
the vesting rate at 0% these have been carried over 
to 2019 so a total of 461,576 are now eligible in April 
2019. The Company issued 418,010 performance rights 
under the LTI Plan in the 2017 grant to a number of 
employees and these will vest in two equal tranches 
in April 2019 and April 2020. The Company issued 
328,390 performance rights under the LTI Plan in 
the 2018 grant to a number of employees and these 
will vest in two equal tranches in April 2020 and 
April 2021. In addition to the original LTI scheme the 
Company issued 700,000 rights under the Group CEO 
retention scheme, with 200,000 vested during 2018 
there are 500,000 rights outstanding at period end. 
There was also an operating segment revenue scheme 
established during 2018. In this scheme 197,194 
performance rights were issued with the rights eligible 
for vesting from April 2020 to April 2023. The table 
below shows the grants and outstanding rights at 
31 December 2018.

90
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

GRANT  
YEAR

PLAN TYPE

2016 Original

2017 Original

2018 Original

TOTAL   
ORIGINAL GRANT

VESTING DATES OF OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

APR-19

APR-20

APR-21

APR-22

APR-23

463,376

463,376

‑

418,010

328,390

‑

‑

418,010

‑

‑

‑

‑

108,555

109,328

110,507

CEO Retention

500,000

150,000

150,000 200,000

‑

TOTAL  
OUTSTANDING

‑

‑

‑

‑

463,376

418,010

328,390

500,000

Segment Revenue

197,194

‑

53,250

23,488

59,919

60,537

197,194

1,025,584

150,000

311,805

332,816

170,426

60,537

1,025,584

Total

1,906,970

613,376

729,815

332,816

170,426

60,537

1,906,970

The vesting of each tranche is subject to the Company 
achieving certain performance hurdles contained 
within the LTI Plan. Upon vesting each performance 
right will entitle the holder to one ordinary share.

Auditor Remuneration

The Company confirmed the re‑appointment of PwC 
as its auditor at its annual shareholder meeting on 25 
May 2018. The amount payable to PwC by the Company 
and its subsidiaries for audit and non‑audit services 
work for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 is 
disclosed in note 10.1 to the financial statements. The 
Board considers that due to the nature and quantum of 
the non‑audit services work the auditors’ independence 
is not compromised.

Waivers

The Company did not apply for, nor did it have granted, 
nor did it rely on any waivers from the NZX during the 
2018 financial year. 

Subsidiary company Directors

The following people held office as Directors of 
subsidiary companies at 31 December 2018: 

‑   Kirk Senior: VESL, Vista Entertainment Solutions 

(USA), Inc., Virtual Concepts Ltd, Movio Ltd, Movio, 
Inc., movieXchange International Ltd, movieXchange 
Ltd, Share Dimension B.V., Powster Ltd, Powster, Inc., 
Stardust Solutions Ltd and Stardust Entertainment, Inc.

‑   Murray Lawrence Holdaway: Maccs International B.V., 
Vista Entertainment Solutions (Shanghai) Limited, 
Book My Show Ltd, Book My Show (NZ) Ltd, 
Numero Ltd, Numero (Aus) Pty Ltd, Flicks Ltd, Vista 
International Entertainment Solutions South Africa 
(PTY) Ltd, Vista Entertainment Solutions (Spain), 
S.L., Stardust Solutions Ltd, Stardust Entertainment, 
Inc. and Senda Dirección Tecnológica S.A. de C.V.

‑   Brian John Cadzow: VESL, Virtual Concepts 
Ltd, Vista Entertainment Solutions (UK) Ltd, 
Vista Entertainment Solutions (USA), Inc., Vista 
Entertainment Solutions (Canada) Ltd, Book My Show 
Ltd, Book My Show (NZ) Ltd, Numero Ltd, Numero 
(Aus) Pty Ltd, Movio Limited, Movio, Inc., Flicks Ltd 
and Senda Dirección Tecnológica S.A. de C.V.

‑   Rodney Hyde: Vista Entertainment Solutions 

(Spain), S.L.

‑  L.H. Huls: Maccs International B.V.

‑  Mathieu H.W. Van As: Maccs International B.V.

‑   Rajesh Chandrakant Balpande: Book My Show Ltd 

and Book My Show (NZ) Ltd

‑   Simon John Burton: Numero Ltd and Numero (Aus) 

Pty Ltd

‑  Sven Andresen: VPF Hub GmbH

‑   Kimbal Riley: VESL, Vista Entertainment Solutions 
(Canada) Ltd, Vista Entertainment Solutions (UK) 
Ltd, Vista Entertainment Solutions (Shanghai) 
Limited, Vista International Entertainment Solutions 
South Africa (PTY) Ltd, Vista Entertainment 
Solutions (Spain), S.L., movieXchange International 
Ltd, movieXchange Ltd, Numero Ltd, Flicks Ltd, 
Powster Ltd, Stardust Solutions Ltd, Stardust 
Entertainment, Inc. and Senda Dirección Tecnológica 
S.A. de C.V.

‑   Derek Geoffrey Forbes: Stardust Solutions Ltd and 

Stardust Entertainment, Inc.

‑   Steven Thompson: Powster Ltd, Powster, Inc. and 

Stardust Solutions Ltd

‑   Nick Patsides: Powster Ltd

‑   Armando Mejias: Senda Dirección Tecnológica 

S.A. de C.V.

‑   Gustavo Ortega: Senda Dirección Tecnológica 

S.A. de C.V.

91
ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Annual Meeting

The Company’s Annual Meeting of shareholders will be 
held in Auckland on 29 May 2018 at 3:00pm. A notice 
of Annual Meeting and Proxy Form will be circulated 
to shareholders in April 2019.

Donations

The Company made donations of $121,251 (2017 – 
$34,395) during the 2018 financial year. This included 
a donation of $100,000 to the Vista Foundation.

Exercise of NZX Disciplinary Powers

NZX did not exercise any of its powers under NZX 
Listing Rule 5.4.2 in relation to the Company during 
the 2018 financial year.

Credit Rating

The Company has no credit rating.

92
VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

VISTA GROUP OFFICE LOCATIONS

V  Vista Cinema

M  Movio

CI  Cinema Intelligence

N  Numero

M  Maccs

F  Flicks

P  Powster

NEW ZEALAND

60 Khyber Pass Road, Newton, Auckland, 1023  V   F  

USA

UK

30 St Benedicts Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland, 1010  M

6300 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 940, Los Angeles, California 90048  V   M   M   CI   N

126 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90036  P  

The Aircraft Factory, 100 Cambridge Grove, Hammersmith, London W6 0LE  V   M

2 Netil Lane, Netil House, London E8 3RL  P

CHINA

Rm 805, E of Office Buildings, Sanlitun SOHO, 8 Gongtibei Rd, Beijing 100027  V

AFRICA

MEXICO

Room 4001, 40th Floor, Hong Kong New World Tower, 300 Huaihai Zhong Rd, 

Shanghai 200021  V  

Tamric House, The Palms Centre, 145 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7915, 

South Africa  V

Avenida Mexico No. 700 Int. 314, Col. San Jeronimo Lidice, Del. Magdalena 

Contreras, C.P. 10400 Mexico D.F  V

NETHERLANDS

Verlengde Hereweg 163, 9721 AN Groningen  M

Bolstoen 2d, 1046AT Amsterdam  CI

ROMANIA

Izvor 92;96 Bucharest  CI

AUSTRALIA

Studio, Level 2, 21 Shepherd Street, Chippendale NSW 2008, Sydney  N

VISTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Level 3, 60 Khyber Pass Road
Newton, Auckland 1023

Phone: +64 9 984 4570
Email: info@vistagroup.co.nz
Website: www.vistagroup.co